Tav, Alitalia, Anas-FS, the Lega-M5s government puts all the industrial matches that matter back into play, only to change their mind and confirm what was decided by the previous executive. Perhaps, because yet another about-face could be around the corner.
TAV
The internal struggle of the 5 Star Movement against the Turin-Lyon TAV seems to have dissolved in the face of a more necessary pragmatism of the Government, but also in the face of the need to maintain balance with the Northern League allies, who have always been in favor of the railway infrastructure.
After the doubts raised with the government contract between the two parties, the words pronounced today by the Minister of Transport, Danilo Toninelli, seem to definitively clarify what the intentions are for the future of the opera: the numerous No pronounced in the past by members of his party are placed in the attic, Toninelli wants to save the train. According to the minister's declaration, the high-speed train is a project “that we have inherited; when it was born, if the M5s had been in government, it would never have been conceived in this way, so impactful, so expensive”, Toninelli told Radio1.
However, the Tav will be implemented, even if the purpose of the Executive “will be to improve it, as written in the government contract. We don't want to do any kind of economic damage to Italy but we want to improve a work that was born very badly”.
In fact, closing the Chiomonte construction sites could cost Italy almost two billion euros in compensation and refunds. A reality that the 5 Star Movement could ignore when it was in opposition, but which it is forced to deal with now that it is part of the Executive.
Referring to the two nights of clashes in front of the construction site, the minister harshly condemned "uncivilized protests above all because they limit the expression of civil protests". Protests in which the former leader of the Movement, Beppe Grillo, also participated in the past, who in 2014 was sentenced to 4 months for breaking seals.
Alitalia
Even more controversial is the situation of Alitalia, on which both the Deputy Prime Minister, Luigi Di Maio, and Toninelli himself, have not used soft words in the recent past. In order to appease spirits, however, the owner of Transport decided to make a partial about-face: “I'm not talking about nationalization, I'm talking about Italian interests. We need to find an investor whose interest is to fly planes, not other things, that is to put the money to speculate”, the minister told Radio 1 for whom “there is a good chance of obtaining excellent results”.
On 18 July, however, Toninelli thought differently: "We will go back to making it the national airline with 51% held by Italy and with a partner who will make it fly". De facto a nationalization that 5 days later, however, seems to have dissolved.
It should be emphasized that a meeting between the Government and the three Alitalia commissioners – Luigi Gubitosi, Enrico Laghi and Stefano Paleari – is scheduled for Friday 27 July, during which the first real indications on the company's future could arrive.
Anas-Fs
The Anas-FS merger is "a wrong operation that must be stopped". Luigi Di Maio did not mince words, confirming the doubts of the other deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini who, in an interview with Corriere della Sera he had stated: "I believe that whoever makes trains must make trains and whoever deals with roads must make roads, but we will talk about it".
"The railways already have enough problems doing their job - echoes Di Maio on La7 -, by joining together, neither the railways nor Anas work anymore".
We recall that the merger between the two companies was strongly desired by the Gentiloni government and, at the end of 2017, requested a capital increase of 2,86 billion through the contribution of the entire Anas stake held by the Ministry of the Economy. For the wedding to be successful, however, some key steps are missing which, at this point, the yellow-green government does not seem willing to complete. The marriage between Anas and Fs would create a giant with a turnover of 11,2 billion, over 41 kilometers of network and 81 employees.
