The president of the transalpine employers’ association presses for the construction “as soon as possible” of a tube that connects Barcelona and Piombino
Confindustria, the powerful Italian employers’ association, is pressing for the construction of a gas pipeline connecting Spain and Italy as soon as possible, so that transalpine companies and families can benefit from the fact that the Spanish territory has the largest network of regasification plants in the European Union, with capacity far in excess of national needs. The tube could link Barcelona with the port of Piombino, in the Tuscany region.
“We are in favour. We believe that it is important that Spain’s regasification capacity be made available to the whole of Europe. Today it is not used because it is not connected to the energy nodes of the other Member States,” Carlo Bonomi, president of Confindustria, told this newspaper after the celebration of this body’s assembly this Monday in Rome, which had as its peak a Vatican audience with Pope Francis.
The construction of a gas pipeline between Spain and Italy is seen by the latter country as a solution to help overcome dependence on imports of Russian methane, which last year covered more than 40% of Italian needs for this hydrocarbon. After the start of the invasion of Ukraine, the government of Mario Draghi accelerated the search for alternative exporters and today the gas sold by Moscow has been relegated to 18%.
To meet the goal of not making any more gas purchases from Russia in the second half of 2024, Rome needs other suppliers, including Madrid thanks to its great regasification power. “We have to build a gas pipeline with Spain,” remarked Bonomi, who criticized France for blocking the Midcat, the pipe that would increase the capacity to transport natural gas from Spanish plants to the rest of the continent through Gallic territory. This project has been discarded by the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
“France opposes it for a national interest. It has nuclear energy and sells electricity, so it has no interest in the rest of the countries being energy independent. But all European nations must be in solidarity, ”said Bonomi, for whom it is crucial that the EU intervenes in this area, so that the gas connection between Spain and Italy can be available as soon as possible. Confindustria is pressing to achieve this goal both with its Spanish counterpart, the CEOE, and with Business Europe, the organization that brings together all European employers’ associations. “It is a European security issue and should be treated as such.” In Italy, the EU’s second largest manufacturing power, “energy and raw materials are something fundamental that must be addressed urgently, because our economy is transformative.”
“General interest”
The Confindustria assembly takes place a few days before the general elections, called for September 25 and which could be won by the far-right Brothers of Italy party, according to polls. Bonomi assured that there is no concern among businessmen in the face of the eventual victory of the formation led by Giorgia Meloni. “We talk to the governments elected by the people. We have our ideas and we think that the decisions made in favor of companies are not corporate, but seek the general interest. If companies do well, jobs and income are created for millions of families.
When asked about the possible increase in public debt with the application of populist measures, the leader of the employers’ association laughed, recalling the extremely high indebtedness that the territory already suffers: it exceeds 150% of GDP, one of the highest levels of western countries. “We are used to public debt. The important thing is how it is spent. If it is used to boost economic growth, there is no problem with it. When it kills you is when the economy rises and does not grow », he replied, asking that the first measure taken by the new Executive be a reduction in labor costs.
#build #gas #pipeline #Spain #Italy