The building crisis slows down the run of Italian ceramics, the flagship of Made in Italy, one of the driving sectors of our economy. “We are looking for a market that doesn't exist”, comments Franco Stefani, patron of System Group, on the sidelines of the ribbon cutting of the thirtieth edition of Cersaie, the international trade fair for the sector underway in Bologna until 29 September.
The data confirm that the economic situation is difficult even for number one such as our local "tile-layers": sales in the first half of 2012 fell by 0,56%, supported in any case by the good performance of exports (+4,74%), especially outside the EU (+12,98%), while in the EU things did not go as well (-1,43%). And this is the healthiest part of Italian industry, which gathers in one of the richest areas of the country, Bologna. Yet, even here, the motorway and ring road leading to the entrance to the Fair are clogged, a symptom of an infrastructural delay that is hard to die for. Yet the cutting, or rather the shredding of the ribbon, takes place even with seven hands (seven scissors), so as to leave a front row slice for each of the protagonists. In short, for a sector that calls for a streamlining of bureaucracy, a reduction in energy costs and in the tax burden, there is something to reflect on.
Details aside, Cersaie manages to break some records again this year: the occupied exhibition area is 176 square meters and for the first time out of 909 exhibitors, around 300 are foreigners (over 30%), coming from 32 nations of the five the continents. There are 474 tile companies (52,1% of exhibitors), those of bathroom furnishings 292 (32,1%) followed by companies producing raw materials, installation equipment, publishing and services. An essential appointment for those who work in this sector, made more important this year by the fact that a substantial part of the companies based in Emilia was hit by the earthquake last May. “In the bad luck – observes Franco Manfredini, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica – the companies in our sector are relatively lucky, because they have more plants and have been able to transfer the production blocked by the earthquake elsewhere”. The regional councilor for productive activities Gian Carlo Muzzarelli chooses the limelight of Cersaie to silence those who complain of delays in reconstruction funds and announces: “from 2013 January 6 XNUMX billion will be operational for the earthquake. Three billion for building reconstruction and three billion for businesses and we will pay for work progress steps". For Giorgio Squinzi, number one of Confindustria, however, it is necessary for the Government to take a further step towards the earthquake victims: "the 'tax holiday' period until November is too restrictive, it must be lengthened" he says.
The needs of the sector are then examined in the inaugural conference "Restarting from Made in Italy". According to Manfredini this means “that Italy must focus on competitive sectors like ours and help them to be even more so. And then we have to reflect on globalization: wild relocation impoverishes everyone. Made in Italy also means this”. Furthermore, we need to reduce energy costs, but also fight undeclared work "without looking so much at SUVs or raiding restaurants - argues Squinzi - instead offering citizens the possibility of deducting work that is done at home". The tax burden for businesses is too heavy: "20% higher than the main European competitors". In the meantime, "the hypothesis of relief for companies that export, but it is important to proceed in an overall way, encouraging the productivity of companies with de-contributions and tax breaks".
Entrepreneurs' relations with the Monti government still seem tepid: “Often our businesses are urged to be more competitive – adds Manfredini – but I believe that this attention should be directed to the public sector, given the recent scandals. We expected a more incisive spending review”. According to Minister Filippo Patroni Griffi, what the Government has done so far will produce 4% more GDP in 10 years and then there are a series of measures being examined by the next Council of Ministers including the important standardization of procedures in all Regions and Finally, he reiterated, municipalities on building construction and environmental authorizations, it is important to reduce the number of provinces and we need to "put our hands on the regional system".
For the future? “I am a convinced and total pro-European – says Squinzi – and our tomorrow lies there, because the competition is between economic and territorial macro-areas and ours is Europe. We have world leadership to maintain and the direction is that of the United States of Europe, for this objective, which certainly takes a long time, everyone must give up shares of sovereignty. I think there are five steps to take: an ECB that has the powers of all other central banks; a uniform welfare policy; homogeneous fiscal policies; common infrastructure policies; European energy policies. I'm still quite optimistic about our future." Will the recovery come? “Something – he concludes – in the second half of 2013”.
