With a joke, one could say that Monti's decree saves Italy brought back, in addition to ICI, also ICE. In the text of the decree, circulated after the signature at the Quirinale, in fact, in article 22, paragraphs 6 to 9 (which we attach below) are entirely dedicated to the rebirth of ICE with the new name of "ICE – Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies".
We have already written, speaking of the States General of foreign trade last October, of the fact that, a few weeks after the abolition of the old ICE (starting from 17 July with law 111/11, i.e. the July budget package), often reviled from all our exporting companies, the fever of nostalgia broke out for our foreign trade promotion agency. Of course, in some ways an expensive bureaucratic bandwagon, but still better than the desert created with its dissolution. So much so that the Berlusconi government itself, in its last sparks of life, tried to re-propose it. The solution proposed by Monti government however it is different, and incorporates – we will see how – some concerns of the business world, and also a different structure of the executive.
The new Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies is a body with legal personality under public law, subject to the powers of guidance and supervision of the Ministry of Economic Development, which exercises them after consulting, for the matters of their respective competence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Its aims are to develop the internationalization of Italian companies and the marketing of Italian goods and services in international markets, and to promote the image of the Italian product in the world.
In carrying out its activities, the Agency works in close collaboration with the regions, the chambers of commerce, business organizations and other interested public and private entities. The functions attributed to ICE by current legislation and the inherent personnel, financial and instrumental resources are transferred to the Ministry of Economic Development and to the Agency itself.
- organs of the Agency are:
- the president, appointed, internally, by the BoD;
- the board of directors, made up of five members, one of whom acts as president. The members of the board of directors are appointed by decree of the President of the Republic, after deliberation by the Council of Ministers, on the proposal of the Minister of Economic Development (one of the five members is designated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs). The members of the board of directors are chosen among people with undisputed morality and independence, high and recognized professionalism and competence in the sector. The position of member of the Board of Directors is incompatible with elective political positions. Board members remain in office for four years and can be confirmed only once;
- the board of auditors.
They are joined by the direttore generale, which carries out management, coordination and control functions of the Agency structure. He is appointed for a period of four years, renewable once only.
Particularly important is the speech of the personnel, which must remain within the maximum limit of 300 units, between the one in Italy and the foreign network. L'Agency operates abroad in the context of diplomatic and consular missions on the basis of a special agreement stipulated between the Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development. The officer in charge of the office is accredited with the local authorities on the diplomatic list. The remaining personnel is notified in the list of technical-administrative personnel. The staff of the Agency abroad depends on the owner of the diplomatic mission for everything concerning relations with foreign authorities, is coordinated by the owner of the diplomatic mission, within the framework of his supervisory and management functions, and operates in line with the internationalization strategies of companies defined by the Ministry of Economic Development in agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I funds to feed the activities and functioning of the agency are 3:
- the endowment fund of the former ICE, intended for the disbursement of an annual contribution to the Agency for the financing of promotional activities abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies;
– a chapter in the estimate of the Ministry of Economic Development, intended to finance operating expenses;
– another chapter for the financing of compulsory expenses of the same Agency.
On the basis of the guidelines and strategic guidelines adopted by the Ministry of Economic Development, the Agency shall, within six months of establishment:
- one office reorganisation, maintaining only the Rome and Milan offices in Italy. The Ministry of Economic Development, the Agency, the regions and the Chambers of Commerce can define appropriate agreements to identify the destination of the human, instrumental and financial resources assigned to the suppressed peripheral offices;
- one re-determination of the procedures for carrying out trade fair promotion activities, in order to achieve savings of at least 20 per cent of the average annual expenditure for these activities recorded in the last three years;
– a concentration of the assets of promotion on strategic sectors and on assistance to small and medium enterprises.
Il first judgement – for the definitive one it is necessary to wait for the decrees that will have to be issued by the Mise – it is positive. There are obvious cost savings (staff reduction, reduction of Italian offices, rationalization of the foreign network). Much of The Agency's responsibility returns to the direct control of the Ministry of Economic Development. That absurd control room created by the previous law for the guidelines of promotional activities abroad has been eliminated, whose role and purpose no one had understood, other than that of distributing some other sub-government role.
In hindsight, we can say that none of the goals of the previous government had been achieved. Not the expense savings, dear to Tremonti, considering that this back and forth between the old ICE, the Ministry and the new ICE, certainly entailed a cost, without considering the time and opportunities lost by the companies. Not the strengthening of the economy and foreign ministers at the expense of economic development, given that the new version seems to reverse this effect, above all thanks to the authority and wider role of Minister Passera. Yep, with hindsight.
In hindsight today and tomorrow, we have to say that reintroduce the ICE, albeit in a leaner and – we hope – more efficient form, is undoubtedly a positive fact, but it is not enough in itself to relaunch exports, which may be the only way to boost the country's growth. We realize that at the moment more attention has been paid to the balance of public finances than to development tools, but starting tomorrow we must ask ourselves thegoal to grow, and in this sense theexport is a key sector.
We have already talked about it several times on these pages, the last one in the article “Export and States General: our proposals”. Here we just recall that every euro spent on useful and effective tools to support exports and FDI of our companies generates a return, in terms of increased exports, higher turnover of our companies, higher employment and, ultimately, higher revenue tax, which repays the cost of the reform by far and in a short time.
Attachments: Legislative Decree Monti art. 22 ICE 061211.pdf
