«A thousand companies in the field for reconstruction»- Corriere.it

“We were already Ukraine’s third largest global trading partner, a leader in significant sectors, so a meeting on reconstruction is due to that people, to whom we must give hope for peace.” Adolfo Urso has spent his time in Kiev even before he was minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, since in September 2022, president of Copasir, reconfirmed to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, the importance of continuing with the sending of military equipment by Italy. On Wednesday he will be at the Palazzo dei Congressi in the EUR for the bilateral conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine. With him also the ministers Antonio Tajani, Matteo Salvini, Giancarlo Giorgetti and to close the president of Confindustria, Carlo Bonomi, the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

Minister why this conference?

«We will always be at Ukraine’s side, also in the reconstruction of the country to favor its accession to the European Union. Indeed, in some cases it is necessary to act immediately, such as for the restoration of power and irrigation plants and for the sowing of crops. The international community is engaged: a similar meeting was held in Germany in October and then in France and another will be held in June in London with a donor conference”.

On Ukraine Emmanuel Macron has guaranteed deals for hundreds of millions of euros to his over 700 companies. It’s Italy?

«I can’t make numbers or compare ours to the French ones. We also have, unlike them, many small and medium-sized companies, but capable of staying in the world. On Wednesday, more than a thousand associations and companies will be present. All the largest private and public Italian companies in strategic development sectors will be there».

Where will the reconstruction start from?

«The conference will be divided into tables in which Ukrainian companies, institutions and bodies will participate and will discuss with ours. There will be a table on infrastructure, logistics and transport where the project of the dry port of Horonda”.

«It is a railway shunting platform on the border with Hungary, participated by a public-private consortium with Italian companies that will take care of its construction. It is very important for exporting Ukrainian goods which will be able to arrive at the Quadrante Europa interport of Verona and at the port of Trieste, a candidate to become one of the major ports of call for Kiev. Then we will have tables dedicated to energy; agro-industry; Health; metallurgy and aerospace and digital services, in the latter case we are already at work».

«The Foreign Trade Institute is helping Ukrainian companies to sell their products abroad through digital platforms. Andriy Yermak, President Zelensky’s head of cabinet, had asked me in January, during my second mission to Kiev, how to build a Made in Ukraine brand, similar to our “Made in Italy”. I suggested that his country adopt a brand of global solidarity, so we have prepared a working group to develop it within EU rules ».

Can reconstruction be accelerated with Ukrainian investments?

“Certain. I reopened the procedures for assigning the Termini Imerese site and three candidate companies, one is Ukrainian: it wants to build an aluminum profile factory for the EU market. In Friuli, on the other hand, there is a Ukrainian company that wants to invest in the field of green steel».

The collection of signatures for the referendum against sending arms to Ukraine has begun.

«We are respectful of every democratic process, the institution of the referendum has also been used by us at the Brothers of Italy. But we think differently. Obviously we believe that peace is built every day by helping Ukraine to defend its freedom, there is no peace without freedom ».

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