Prime Minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday that he will not yield ArcelorMittal in the struggle for the future of the troubled Ilva steel plant, as the threat of massive layoffs have increased pressure on the ruling coalition.
Largest steelmaking company of world ArcelorMittal said Monday that refuses the transaction on purchase of the plant in the South of Italy after Rome refused to grant immunity from criminal prosecution of the management for damage to the environment of Taranto.
Government Conte insists that the steel group, registered in Amsterdam, has no reason to abandon the contract last year and accused the company of using the question of immunity as an excuse to exit the steel business in Italy.
"the Contract was agreed, and we won't figure it out. We expect that commitments will be respected," said Conte to reporters in Milan on Tuesday. "You come to Italy, win the bid, and must comply with the terms of the contract are included and set out in the tender," he said.
given the fact that the latest figures from the statistical office ISTAT on Tuesday showed no signs of improvement in the stagnant Italian economy, the problems with Ilva increased concerns about erosion of the industrial potential of the country.
the Opposition party has accused the government in pursuit of foreign investors and undermine the economy of the region with one of the highest levels of unemployment in the country.
on Tuesday, the head of the centre-left Democratic party, Nicolas Zingaretti said that his party will propose measures to ensure that not one customer was responsible for the environmental damage caused by the previous management.
"anyone who pollutes must pay, but the group implements an environmental plan should not bear criminal liability for previous actions, that she was not responsible. We will offer parliamentary action in this sense," he said in a statement.
the government Promised legal shield would protect ArcelorMittal from potential costly prosecution associated with the continuation of work on the furnaces of the plant.
However, the 5 star movement opposed the renewal of protection for ArcelorMittal, saying that it was unfair to the local residents of Taranto, whose health could suffer because of the steel mill.
