“For too many years the manufacturing industry has been neglected, in Italy and in Europe, thinking they can do without it. The results were negative but now the industry has returned to the top of government and European priorities”. These are the words with which the Prime Minister Enrico Letta accepted Giorgio Squinzi's appeal, speaking at theConfindustria annual meeting.
Letta's statements were inspired by data from the USA and Japan, countries that "have regained strength and strength: the USA with gas, Japan with the choices that the Bank of Japan and the government have made". "Perhaps the first round, which lasted more than a decade, when it was thought in Italy and in Europe to be able to do without industry, arriving at non-positive results," said Letta.
The Prime Minister continued as follows: “In 2020 we must reach 20% of the activity produced by industry in Europe and in Italy. It's an important effort, but we have to do it if we want Europe to become a world leader again and (we Italians) still play an important role”. Letta added that, however, "industry must change, it must be more attentive to human capital, the environment and internationalization because we are now in a global market".
“Our commitment – said the premier – will be total. And it will add to that of "de-bureaucratisation, the fight against tax evasion and the control of energy costs (which is too expensive at a European level, let alone at an Italian level)". Then Letta alluded to his government's measures relating to cutting the costs of parliamentarians: "Perhaps politics too late understood the lesson that, if one fails to be credible, austere, with reduced political costs, there is no possibility to take effective action. We wanted to give a sign by abolishing the double salary for parliamentarians who are also part of the government. We will continue with the reduction in the number of parliamentarians, the abolition of party funding and the cancellation of the Provinces from the Constitution”.
