“EU funds should be used to create new jobs, not to move jobs from one country to another. We have a couple of cases that have been reported to us, of course we follow them up." This was stated by the European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager during the press conference held after the meeting with the Minister of Economic Development Carlo Calenda sul Embraco case.
The group controlled by Whirlpool has decided to go ahead with the closure of the Riva di Chieri (Turin) plant to move production to Slovakia.
Vestager clarified that every company can and should have the possibility to relocate to another member state. However, production relocations “concern us if it involves taxpayers' money. In 2014, and again last year, we tightened the rules for prevent public money from being used to displace jobs from one Member State to another". Not only that, the rules have also been tightened up to prevent companies from moving "according to the structural funds".
This eventuality "worried us a lot, we have a certain number of cases and we follow them, in order to act we have to verify if the reports are correct. Without evidence and evidence we cannot make a judgment: we want to ensure that EU rules are respected, in case taxpayer money is involved we have to make sure that new jobs are created”.
At the moment, therefore, the commissioner is taking time to analyze the situation and respond to the requests of the number one of the Mise Carlo Calenda: the aim is to ascertain whether or not there has been state aid.
The Economy Minister also spoke on the matter, Pier Carlo Padoan, who, speaking to Omnibus, on La7, said: “I have great faith in Vestager's competence and objectivity. If there is state aid, as is possible, I expect the commission to take severe measures" because state aid "is a serious violation of the internal market".
At the same time work continues to try to save the Company's jobs. Invitalia, the agency of the Ministry of Development that deals with the attraction of investments, "in these hours" in Rome, is meeting a foreign company that could be interested in Embraco. She stated it Carlo Calenda, on the sidelines of an appointment in Varese. "Scouting is going on - she explained - I will meet the unions next week and give them updates".
The unions are also moving: the general strike of the Turin metalworkers will be held by 15 March in support of the Embraco dispute. This was announced today by the heads of Uilm, Fiom and Fim, who tomorrow will meet the company's representatives at the Turin Industrial Union. “We expect them to make us proposals, they have anticipated it to us at the ministry, but if they think about part-time we have already said no, it is a provocative proposal, we will get up and leave. We will never make an agreement that provides for layoffs at the end of the process,” said Dario Basso, general secretary of Uilm in Turin.
