“Italy remains a country of great attractiveness and excellence”, and this is “also a source of great responsibility for all political decision-makers, because this enormous potential can only materialize if we address all the knots and difficulties that hold back growth”. The Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, opened the inauguration ceremony of the 83rd edition of the Fiera del Levante in Bari with these words. “During my visit to Brussels – the premier continued -, I had confirmation that Italy is at a turning point, a crucial challenge. Today it enjoys a precious capital of trust which, if well spent, will produce beneficial effects in the short, medium and long term. The significant reduction in the spread is proof that the markets are strongly betting on Italy's ability to catch up with the train of economic growth and on the new political phase”.
One of the crucial points in Conte's speech was that on the 'Green New Deal': "The EU's attention is maximum and Italy's contribution to this crucial step in European social and economic planning will be to work so that the green investments by Member States, are promoted as much as possible. Because of this, we will ask for the exclusion of green investments from the calculation of the deficit, for the purposes of compliance with the Stability and Growth Pact".
The visit was preceded by an interview by Conte with the newspaper La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, in which the premier specified the plan for the South: “Italy's growth depends on the redemption of the South. For this reason, in the Government programme, we have included an extraordinary investment plan for the South, which must also include the upgrading of infrastructure. There is still a lot to do for high-speed rail in the South, which is one of my government's challenges. In recent months there has already been constant work for the construction of the Naples-Bari line, but the whole of the South, from Puglia to Sicily, needs adequate road and railway networks. It is intolerable - it is just one example among many - that to reach Matera, the European capital of culture, there are no direct and fast connections".
On the public investment bank, the Prime Minister finally clarified: “The public investment bank that we are planning will act as a coordination between the main existing public development structures, such as Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, MedioCredito Centrale and Invitalia. Its objective will be to stimulate and guide the activity of private financial operators specifically support to SMEs, with the aim of improving their competitiveness and guaranteeing synergy with the resources and investments provided by the Public Administration for businesses. It will be a modern, effective and efficient tool”.
