MILAN, March 31, 2021 – “The resources from the Recovery Plan that are expected to be earmarked for investments in infrastructure are not enough. They are a little more than €32 billion for six years, compared with €90 billion that the state would normally budget for these investments over the same period. So the resources to come from the Recovery Plan have to be treated as an addition and not a substitute to what is needed to support the titanic effort that Italy needs to make to relaunch the country and employment. There is no question as to Prime Minister Draghi’s credibility in Europe, where we have to fight an important battle to acquire all the resources needed to make the country start again.”

These are the comments made by Pietro Salini, Chief Executive of Webuild, during an interview on “Re Start”, a programme broadcast on Thursday on Rai 2 state television, about the need to investment in infrastructure to boost employment and economic growth.

For Salini, jobs are a top priority in these times of crisis. “Every business should be sustainable. But, for our Group, the real factor for sustainability in a country like ours is the ability to give work especially to young people. We must also relaunch the healthcare sector, which we have seen to be fragile. We need to strengthen these important elements in order to grow with an eye to the future.” This commitment to create jobs in the country was reflected in the industrial operation that led to the acquisition of Astaldi by the Webuild Group. “We saved 20,000 jobs, 15,000 of which at Astaldi and 5,000 people that we hired thanks to an operation like Progretto Italia, done with CDP Equity, Intesa Sanpaolo, UniCredit and Banco BPM. And we will keep hiring. The future for a young person in this country has to start with their studies, while for us entrepreneurs every effort must be done to give them jobs.”

But companies, continued Salini, must be given the conditions under which they can work. “The rules for public tenders are often an obstacle because they are written not with the idea getting projects built but to ensure a long process that is often not very effective. If we return to European regulation - as do many countries - we could overcome this obstacle, just like we did to build the bridge in Genoa. This model can be replicated with a capable public administration that collaborates with capable construction companies.”

The Group would be able immediately to start work on the bridge over the Strait of Messina and create a crucial axis connecting Sicily and enhancing the value of rail in Italy. “We are investing €20 billion from Naples to Palermo and the bridge is indispensable for Italy. On the topic of public works, we often forget the cost of not doing them. For example, the cost of not doing the bridge over the Strait of Messina is €6 billion a year in lost tourism and trade.”

Having said this, continued Salini, it is necessary to proceed quickly with the vaccination programme to put the country in a condition to start up again. “We are ready to support the vaccination programme inside our company, making available our staff and structures.”

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