The second day of the States General of foreign trade was more concrete than the first, but did not bring any significant news in the context of support for internationalisation. Entrepreneurs had the floor, reiterating some of the requests they have been making for many months now and summarizing them in a "Manifesto" which we publish in its entirety as an attachment.
The meeting began with a prologue by Massimo Calearo Ciman, Prime Minister Berlusconi's personal advisor for foreign trade, who focused his speech on one topic: foreign trade requires an ad hoc ministry. And the entrepreneurs in the room responded with a long round of applause. For what reason? “In order for ministers and the highest foreign authorities to receive us – said Calearo Ciman – we need the most institutionally senior figure, i.e. capable of committing the government to such crucial issues for our economy. Entrepreneurs are asking for it. Exports are our oil and together with tourism and cultural heritage they represent one of the fundamental assets of the Italian economy. The time has come for foreign trade to have its ministry too, at no cost, since the structure and personnel are already there. All that is needed is a decree from the Council of Ministers”.
The 6 working tables (Agro-food; Environment/energy; Furnishing-home system; Automation - Mechanics - Mobility; Clothing - Personal system and Services) then met to examine the proposals elaborated during the preparatory work. The final result is, in fact, the Manifesto. The main concern of the entrepreneurs, orphans of the suppressed ICE, has been that of having a body, an agency, a national center that is able to promote Made in Italy in a unified and coordinated way. The concern is clear: the regional promotion agencies (which have been entrusted with this function since 1999) are not functioning; the Ice has been suppressed; embassies have so far never carried out a real commercial activity. As for how this new agency should be organised, opinions are not entirely homogeneous on this point. And the final document speaks of the objectives of this agency, but not of its organization. Someone, in the final round table of entrepreneurs, came out with a phrase like: "I don't understand why they have suppressed the ICE", in turn guaranteeing the applause of the thick claque of the ex-employees of the Institute. But if the latter can be understood, we don't understand how the entrepreneurs, who until recently vied with each other in speaking ill of the Ice, in saying that it was a useless and expensive bureaucratic bandwagon, today regret it "tel quel". No one who has had the courage to take up the 10 points outlined by Ugo Calzoni on these pages to reorganize the new agency in terms of goals and structures. But growth can't only come from a reissue of the old Mincomes and the old Ice! Perhaps some entrepreneurs (but not all) did not want to disturb the operator (in this case the Minister of Economic Development Romani). But the operator, who at the end of the work should have presented his version of the new agency (the official one, which should appear in the development decree) has seen fit not to be seen, leaving the final words to his omnipresent Deputy Minister Polidori and the EU Commissioner Tajani.
More interesting, however, in the final document, is the part on measures for competitiveness: some tax measures, the expansion of the portfolio of financial instruments available to the public system (Simest above all), which was not in the first version of the document (we think that we too have made a small contribution with our proposals). The idea of including in exporting SMEs, in collaboration with universities and training institutions, young people specialized in subjects connected to foreign trade, selected from a national database held by the agency to be set up, is excellent. A legislative provision should provide for this particular form of contract and tax incentives both for the volunteer and for the company that welcomes him.
Is there, beyond the usual proclamations, the political will and ability to apply at least these measures, not astonishing but certainly better than the status quo? We will see it in the coming weeks. Because if growth does not start with support for foreign trade, where should we start? And if there is no growth, in GDP but also in employment, how can we reduce the debt and appease the recurring crises?
Attachments: Document THE GENERAL STATES OF COMMERCE .pdf
