Confindustria's Orsini warns of EU 'industrial desert' and demands energy reform at annual assembly

A call for courage and responsibility

Confindustria president Emanuele Orsini opened the annual assembly in Rome with a call for 'courage and trust,' describing them as the two conditions needed to generate lasting effects for the country. Speaking at the Nuvola di Fuksas before President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola (via video message), Orsini stressed that the current moment 'does not admit waiting, hesitation, uncertainty or delays.'

We entrepreneurs ask all of politics for a great act of responsibility, made of choices inspired by trust and courage.

The assembly had the tone of a grand occasion, but Orsini's report was far from celebratory. He noted that the general picture had worsened compared to a year ago, citing the tariff war followed by the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has put the productive system at even greater risk.

The risk of a European industrial desert

The political core of the speech centred on deindustrialisation, a word Orsini returned to repeatedly. He described it as a process already underway, not a theoretical risk. 'In the last two years we have witnessed a real landslide of the European industrial system,' he said, accusing Brussels of having 'thrown open the markets to Chinese products' while European companies grappled with expensive energy, excessive rules, and environmental costs.

For too long we have settled for doing the minimum necessary instead of the maximum needed.

Orsini warned that losing industry would mean losing 15% of GDP and millions of jobs, framing the challenge as one that requires a coordinated response from institutions, businesses, and the whole of society.

Energy as an existential threat

Energy prices dominated the address. Orsini called the cost of energy 'a real existential threat' for businesses and urged a bipartisan decision to return energy to the exclusive competence of the State. He appealed to all political forces to unblock suitable areas for large-scale photovoltaic and wind plants, areas that continue to face strong resistance at regional and local levels regardless of political colour.

We cannot call for more renewables and then block their authorisations.

He provided concrete figures: Italy has 85 gigawatts installed, needs another 50 GW within four years, and a third of what is installed has not yet been connected to the grid. Some 131 GW are still awaiting authorisation, with over 4,000 requests for renewable plants already approved but blocked. He also noted that AI will double energy needs over the next 25 years from 300 to 600 terawatt-hours, and called for an acceleration of the return to nuclear power, thanking Meloni for saying she wants to speed up the process.

A five-point pact for growth

Orsini proposed a five-point pact to be shared with all political parties to return to 2% growth. Beyond energy, the levers are: dimensional growth of small and medium enterprises, strengthening development and innovation contracts, pursuing simplification and reforming Law 231 on corporate administrative and criminal liability, and deploying adequate resources to match objectives.

On the final point, Orsini launched a concrete proposal to the government and social partners: identify €20 billion to reallocate without increasing debt — one third to growth, one third to healthcare, and one third to education. He called it 'a concrete act of responsibility to be carried out with shared decisions.'

Acknowledging the government

While urging more action, Orsini struck an ecumenical tone, thanking the government in several passages for what it has done and acknowledging a 'greater balance' on energy. He also recalled a positive dialogue with trade unions on contracts and wages. The Confindustria leader insisted that Italy, when it expresses the best of itself, knows how to walk the path of responsibility, ambition, and determination that animates its businesses.