Rome will resume negotiations with ArcelorMittal trying to avoid a social explosion in the country's South
the Largest steel company in the world ArcelorMittal has agreed to resume talks with the Italian government about the future of the steel industry Ilva, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte after a four-hour meeting with the leadership of the company.
Rome and ArcelorMittal are preparing for a tough legal opposition of the steel company to get out of Italy, refusing to deal with the government on the acquisition of a factory in the southern city of Taranto.
ArcelorMittal has started to curtail production of steel and stop shop after deputies of the Italian Parliament deprived the company of legal immunity in cases of liability for environmental violations.
Conte said the Mittal family to start immediate negotiations in order to make a decision about the new common future for Ilva.
"the purpose of the negotiations is to switch to the new production plan the new production solutions and new environmental technology to make maximum efforts to clean the environment," said Conte late on Friday evening after a meeting in Rome with the Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal Lakshmi Mittal and his son Aditya Mittal, CFO and CEO ArcelorMittal Europe.
In Arcelor Mittal said on Saturday that the meeting was "constructive".
"the Talks will be continued with the objective of achieving agreement on sustainable production of steel in Taranto," - said in a statement.
Below to start negotiations on a positive note, the government asked to postpone a hearing scheduled for November 27, at the urgent appeal filed by Rome to try to stop the planned solution ArcelorMittl to close Ilva.
"We are ready to solve this delay, provided that ArcelorMittal will agree to maintain the operation of the plant and the production during talks," said Conte.
In Ilva, Europe's largest steel mill, employs about 8 to 200 people, and thousands of jobs indirectly dependent on this production.
According to the unions, Arcelor Mittal was ready to transfer the plant to the state-appointed administrators on 4 December and began to curtail operations prior to shutdown blast furnaces and production lines.
However, at the beginning of this week, ArcelorMittal has announced that it will suspend the planned closure until the decision of the court.
Conte said that the legal immunity was not discussed at the meeting, but said that the state could play a direct role in the management of Ilva, given its importance to the wider Italian economy.
Rome is also ready to take measures to support workers in troubled companies, said Conte, adding that it is necessary to maintain the highest level of employment.