The golden share arrives in the Senate. Last night the Chamber approved the decree with votes in favor of all the groups, with the exception of the Northern League: 401 yes, 42 no and two abstentions.
The provision refers to the special powers to be attributed to the State over corporate structures in the sectors of defense and national security, activities of strategic importance in the energy, transport and communications sectors and - by virtue of an amendment presented and approved in commission – also for local public services.
The decree originates from the decision, adopted by the EU Commission, referring Italy to the Court of Justice of the European Union following the opening, in November 2009, of an infringement procedure with reference to the general Italian regulation of the special powers attributed to the State in the context of companies privatized during the 90s - such as Eni, Enel , Finmeccanica and Telecom Italia – considered by the Commission to be detrimental to the freedom of establishment and the free movement of capital.
“Through this decree we wanted to redesign a discipline that dated 18 years and was subjected to various censorships by the EU. With this provision, Italy will adopt undoubtedly more modern legislation which does not have a protectionist intention but aims to be transparent and correct”, said the Minister for European Affairs, Enzo Moavero Milanesi. The minister underlined how the provision responds to two needs: on the one hand, to maintain an "openness to investment, an opportunity for growth" and on the other, "to guarantee the government bodies interventions within the ambit of a supervisory mechanism". Moavero admitted that "some issues will require further study and in the EU the Commission will rest its gaze, but we will support the reasons for this legislation".
