Palenzona: an Authority for transport.

The president of Aiscat suggests some measures to relaunch the Italian infrastructure sector, which is too uncompetitive. Among these is the indispensable establishment of an independent regulatory authority for the sector.

“We need a transport authority that induces investors to trust Italy” says Fabrizio Palenzona, president of Aiscat (Italian association of motorway and tunnel concessionaires), in an interview with Sole24ore. The Italian transport system is not very competitive compared to the rest of Europe also due to its inadequacy from a regulatory point of view.
In this period in which the economy is slow and social needs are pressing, the solution is not an increase in spending by the state. According to Palenzona, various strategic measures must be adopted to face the crisis and improve the competitiveness of our country.
In the first place, the Government must be delegated to implement the European regulation on transport. The delegation should set limits and take care of reviewing the structure of FS and Anas, separating "the advertising activity of network management, which must be headed by the State, and commercial and market activity, which must favor the appropriate strategic alliances ”. It is also necessary to spread a feeling of confidence for long-term investments, giving greater certainty regarding the volatility of the regulatory framework.
In such a context, it becomes fundamental to set up an independent Authority for the infrastructure and transport sector. This authority would have the task of opening up the market to competition “with powers similar to those of the Electricity and Gas Authority; to ensure the application of European law and its principles; to suggest the necessary measures for the management of calls for tenders and the stipulation of contracts in the event of competition for the market".
Finally, the Government must adopt a selective infrastructure policy, which chooses to allocate funds only to virtuous companies.