A conference was held in Confindustria 'Beyond the Horizon: Prospects and Challenges of a New Industrial Policy for the Sea', aimed at retracing the objectives achieved in the Sea Economy sector and, above all, identifying the many potentials still to be developed, in the intersection between the shared perspectives of the high-profile entrepreneurial realities of the Confindustria system and the recent institutional strategic guidelines to enhance the Sea production resource as a driver of Italian industry.

For Pasquale Lorusso, Confindustria Vice President for the Sea EconomyConfindustria, with the current Presidency, was the first confederation to give centrality to the Maritime Economy. The mission was to bring together the Representatives of the maritime-port cluster, analyse the structural knots and identify the as yet unexpressed potential of the sector as a whole, with the aim of devising a strategic project that could guide the country towards the valorisation of resources, the development of productivity, and the enhancement of competitiveness.

In May 2022, Confindustria thus drew up the "Project SeaIt is the work of the entire Confederal System, and has started a strong awareness-raising activity and proposal to institutions at all levels, to put the Maritime Economy at the centre of the country's political agenda.

The 'Piano Mare' of the Government, published in the Official Gazette on 23 October 2023, is a historic milestone, necessary to fully develop the extraordinary potential of the Blue Economy. After many years of fragmented legislation and disjointed consideration of the various economic sectors, the document outlines sixteen guidelines that will allow the entire system to grow harmoniously, according to a unitary and systemic vision.

Confindustria considers this a decisive step forward in recognising the needs of the national industrial structure. With its 'Sea Project', Confindustria, therefore, was the forerunner of strategic lines of action that it was able to present to CIPOM and that we find today in several passages in the government's 'Plan Mare'.

The main achievements, according to VP Lorusso, are:

1. Establishment of an institutional political responsibility dedicated to the maritime economy, representing the need for unitary 'political' coordination for the entire sea cluster. The recognition of specific competences on the sea under the Minister for Civil Protection and Sea Policies and, subsequently, the establishment of the Interministerial Committee for Sea Policies - CIPOM table is a positive result.
2. Dredging regulation and simplification, by submitting to Deputy Ministers Gava and Rixi the strategic importance of dredging, making us promoters of a simplified regulation on excavated earth and rocks, which has been fully accepted by the Government and Parliament. The new legislation, which is currently being finalised, will facilitate the use of sediments resulting from excavations and works for the construction of infrastructures, also affecting the strategic chapter of dredging.
3. Uniform and homogeneous regulation of concessions and the issue of updating maritime state fees: Confindustria (Confederation of Italian Industry) has been working tirelessly on the correct interpretation of the regulations on updating maritime state fees. Here too, thanks to Deputy Minister Rixi, a solution was found, which was then actually found in the recent DL Asset.
4. Mezzogiorno e Territorio - Z.e.s. Unica: development model capable of making the Mezzogiorno the 'logistical platform' of the Mediterranean, as well as an essential tool for enhancing the territories' peculiarities and production needs.

Vice President Lorusso then outlined the goals to be achieved in the future:

–A new industrial policy for the maritime economy:

The confederal system has identified some specific proposals for action, including the endorsement within the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) of European environmental legislation on maritime transport to harmonise policies and not undermine the competitiveness of the EU system; specific measures to support investment demand for the renewal and modernisation of the national fleet; use of public demand for the renewal and technological adaptation of public fleets and local and regional public transport; creation of new funds for financing R&D&I investments to promote the technological capacity of the shipbuilding industry to support the energy and digital transition of maritime transport; Introduction of measures to promote the use of decarbonised liquid fuels in existing fleets, to further increase the environmental sustainability of maritime transport; construction of LNG storage and distribution infrastructure for maritime transportto support supply needs and increasing product demand; definition of an operational plan for storage and distribution infrastructure, including hydrogen.

–The competitiveness of national port systems:

Italy should aspire to become a logistics hub of Southern Europe. Europe itself would benefit greatly. A common strategic vision is deriveable. In particular: Administrative, procedural and control simplificationsparticularly with regard to environmental procedures and the implementation of dredging, logistics infrastructure and the effective launch of customs and administrative one-stop shops; 24-hour port operation; road and rail connections; cold ironing; development of port energy communities.

In this sense, theIt is hoped that the port reform under discussion will be the result of a broad and effective participation process by all stakeholders.

–ART - Transport Regulatory Authority:

In the port area, but more generally on the entire logistics chain, there needs to be a clear reassessment of the Authority's relations with companiesnot only with reference to their contribution to the livelihood of the Authority itself. There are several areas in which the role of the ART overlaps de facto with that of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport for port maritime competences and significantly on the activity and autonomy of the Port Authorities, which need objective clarification.

For Vito Grassi, Vice President of Confindustria and President of the Council for Regional Representations and Territorial Cohesion Policies of Confindustria, "The Sea is, for our country, an economic cluster of primary importance, complex and articulated. It is composed of an extensive supply chain, transversal to many other sectors, which crosses the country from North to South, generates a great deal of wealth and work, and makes a decisive contribution to the development of entire territories. If the Sea Economy is fundamental for the country, it is even more so for the growth of Southern Italy, which sees the Mediterranean as the protagonist of its own history and future. The South, in fact, is the area where the sector weighs most heavily on the production fabric, with an incidence of 5.7% on the total number of companies, and it is, at the same time, also the area where most of the sector's companies are located: as many as 48%, equal to 110 thousand units'. According to VP, "the Mezzogiorno needs a new role: we are convinced, and not as of today, that one of the ways to do this is to transform itself from a 'commercial periphery' to a 'logistical platform', placing itself at the centre of trade between North Africa, the Middle East, the Far East and Europe and thus consolidating its leading role in the sea chain".

Finally, Grassi dwelt on the subject of SEZs, recalling that "Confindustria has believed in SEZs since their introduction in 2017 and is now looking closely at the implementation of the Single SEZ, which will come into force on 1 January 2024. The bottom line is the need for the Single SEZ to be underpinned by a medium to long-term strategic design. This strategy must have a solid productive and industrial connotation. In this sense, we believe that the area of the Sea Economy plays a crucial role and that the essence of the Special Economic Zone must continue to lie in the intertwining of logistics, first and foremost the port, and the territorial industrial vocations'.