ZES, CONFINDUSTRIA: FUNDAMENTAL INSTRUMENT FOR SOUTHERN DEVELOPMENT, PERMANENT CONFRONTATION NECESSARY
Ready to collaborate with Minister Fitto
 
 
Rome, 23 February 2023 - A meeting was held today at Confindustria headquarters between Vito Grassi, Vice President of Confindustria and President of the Council for Regional Representations and Territorial Cohesion Policies of Confindustria, Pasquale Lorusso, Vice President of Confindustria for the Economy of the Sea, and Giuseppe Romano, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Campania and Calabria Special Economic Zones (ZES) Government, on the subject of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). During the meeting there was total agreement in confirming that SEZs are an essential tool for combining production and logistics development in the South and boosting public and private investment, transforming the South into a European logistics platform at the centre of the Mediterranean. Precisely for these reasons, and in view of the positive results, Confindustria hopes that collaboration with the institutions aimed at sharing experiences and assessments on the opportunities and critical issues related to the operation of SEZs will be made permanent. We therefore ask the Minister for European Affairs, the South, the Cohesion Policies and the PNRR, Raffaele Fitto, for the utmost attention to such an important instrument for the development of the South, following up on the dialogue that has already begun.
 
"SEZs represent a potential development driver for the Mezzogiorno, but also a tool that encourages public-private collaboration. It was precisely the joint work between institutions, the Confindustria System, and the Extraordinary Commissioners of SEZs that fostered the consolidation of the regulatory framework, which now makes SEZs finally operational and able to support the establishment and development of companies in the South. For these reasons, Confindustria's hope is to intensify the dialogue with Minister Fitto and continue to support and consolidate the role of SEZs, support them in networking among themselves and with stakeholders, and ultimately contribute actively and productively to the growth of Southern Italy and the reduction of territorial disparities". said Vice President Vito Grassi.
 
"The SEZs represent a privileged tool to develop and strengthen the Economy of the Sea, particularly in the South of Italy, which, with more than 45% of the total number of companies and a third of the total number of employees, plays a strategic role for the growth of the entire country. For every euro invested in the Economy of the Sea, in fact, an average of almost twice as much is activated, so it is essential to continue along the path already taken to make the most of this tool' - said Vice President Pasquale Lorusso.
 
For the Commissario Straordinario di Governo delle ZES Campania e Calabria, Giuseppe Romano, "the synergy with Confindustria is fundamental in the process of attracting investment, which also passes through the careful information work that we jointly carry out. The single authorisations that have already been issued in the various SEZs are a clear sign of the attractiveness determined by the bureaucratic simplification as well as the tax breaks'.