The Search for Stability

by Domenico Di Monte, President of Assofluid

While I write, all of Italy is concentrating on the results of the elections, which already indicate the need to form a coalition to govern. A highly predictable scenario considering the current electoral law.
Stepping away from the question of the winners and losers, I prefer to focus on the real needs of the country in this moment. “The search for stability”. A stability that would allow the government to plan and develop economic strategy over a medium to long term, setting aside political positions. I refer here to the pathway laid out by economy minister Calenda, which, after many years of unfulfilled promise, could finally be called a real industrial plan, focusing on structural competitiveness, and not simply a one off bonus scheme hoping to get the economy going. From 1970 to today, Italy holds a sad record, the country with the most changes of government in the world. Libya is second and Turkey third. While the initial post war period was mostly a continuation of a particular political force, the following years have seen coalitions become more frequent. Let me be clear, when I speak of stability, I do not just mean of the government itself but of the political line being laid, with strong leadership in important areas like the economy. I am convinced that in this delicate historical moment in Italy, the differences between the trains of thought across the political spectrum are neglible and the first step must simply be to focus on the results an area of excellence like Italian industry can expect to achieve following guarantees of stability and the continuation of measures already put in place. This continuity is justified by its performance, which the Calenda plan is now enjoying, together with consensus from all quarters, especially the industrial sector. One of Italy’s problems is that of wanting to be in “ownership” of an effective measure rather than efficiently implementing it. This may be a utopia, but I wish to believe that laws can be activated because they are good laws, independently of who created them and that making a commitment to a plan is to give concrete benefits to the country rather than simply in order to jump on the bandwagon of populism. All too often Italian politicians ignore the content of a law and vote on political bias alone. I close, wishing for the conscience and good sense of each and every member of Parliament to be focused on the good of Italian political, economic and social interest.