Salini, Webuild: “Infrastructure in the South are key to reviving employment and growth. An industrial vision beyond the PNRR is needed to compete globally”

AVELLINO, April 30, 2026 – “Southern Italy has shown a vitality capable of driving the entire country, but to turn this momentum into employment and sustained structural growth, we must look beyond the emergency phase. Infrastructure is the starting point, but what’s needed is a shared political and industrial vision: even before looking to Europe, we must decide what kind of Italy we want to be and how we intend to build it with a long-term outlook that goes beyond the PNRR.” This was stated by Pietro Salini, Chief Executive of Webuild, speaking today via video link at the Confindustria Avellino conference “The South as a Protagonist: the Contribution of Irpinia.”

Salini recalled the historic experience of Webuild’s 120 years and of the country itself: “The Group was founded in an Italy that was still largely agricultural. Visionary people understood that without hydroelectric power plants, railways, subways and roads, there would have been no industry. Today we face the same challenge: logistics, energy and training are the pillars to avoid falling behind in a world moving at extremely high speed. We need a long-term plan implemented in a streamlined way, focused on energy independence, a return to major technological pathways such as nuclear power, and tangible support for large-scale industry. Only then can we stop asking how to compete with the rest of the world and start setting the pace.”

Salini stressed that the real challenge lies in turning commitments to digitalisation and innovation into tangible and intangible infrastructure that creates quality jobs: “We must overcome bureaucratic slowdowns to give certainty to those who work. Looking at the global landscape, the gap in patent filings compared to major technological powers such as China, or in STEM training capacity, are signals we cannot ignore. We must return to investing in skills to avoid remaining spectators in a market dominated by other global giants and to be able to maintain the level of welfare our country is accustomed to. Through projects on the ground, we help local companies grow and stem the brain drain: the South must become a hub of attraction, with high-quality vocational training that enables young people to build their future here, taking part in the creation of the major networks of tomorrow.”

In Campania, Webuild is already turning this vision into reality, working since the start of construction with 4,400 outstanding local suppliers and currently employing more than 4,100 people, with a total awarded value exceeding €6 billion. “We are creating a system in which major infrastructure projects become a school of trades, drawing on skills developed on the most complex projects worldwide, while also serving as a bastion of legality through constant collaboration with institutions,” Salini added.

A concrete example of this renewal is the Naples–Bari High-Speed/High-Capacity railway line. “Irpinia is no longer an isolated inner area, but a strategic hub,” explained Salini. “With the Apice–Hirpinia section and the future Hirpinia Station, we are delivering a highly complex engineering project that will connect territories and markets. It is proof that when there is vision, Italy is capable of building infrastructure that is second to none worldwide,” Salini concluded.