Assolombarda, the president pays tribute to Berlusconi. Standing ovations. Confalonieri: “There will be no surprises in the will”. Bonomi: no veto on the minimum wage

MILAN. «Before starting, I want to mention an Italian entrepreneur who will be missed: Silvio Berlusconi». The Assembly of Assolombarda, an offshoot of Confindustria which brings together the companies of the provinces of Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza, Pavia, begins with a portrait of the former prime minister who passed away at the age of 86 on 12 June. The homage comes after the report of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. To celebrate it, with a surprise tribute, it is the president and host Alessandro Spada.

«Italy, in recent days, has remembered him for his political role, for his institutional offices. We want to remember him as an entrepreneur, as the self-made man who embodied the values ​​of this territory», said Spada. The audience of industrialists, but also of deputies, senators and institutional figures stood up in applause. In the front row Prime Minister Meloni, the president of the Senate Ignazio La Russa and the president of Confindustria Carlo Bonomi.

“For Berlusconi – added Spada – the company was a community, a second home, thanks to which an entrepreneurial dream could be brought to life”. Spada then quotes Kipling: «He knew how to walk with kings but without losing touch with the people. This sentence perfectly represents Berlusconi’s method». Spada also recalled his “tireless passion for doing business for companies and for the family” concluding that “he will be missed but his memory will remain alive”.

However, Berlusconi had already been discussed at the assembly of Lombard industrialists. With a lifelong friend and president of Mfe, Fedele Confalonieri, to whom journalists had asked about the opening of the will: «There is no set date but probably next week. But there will be no surprises», reassured the former right-hand man of the Knight. «I would exclude – he concluded – any repercussions on the companies of the Fininvest galaxy».

The president of Confindustria, Carlo Bonomi, spoke of the minimum wage: «If we want to talk about a minimum wage with a threshold of 9 euros, it is not a problem for Confindustria. Our contracts are all superior. If we take third-level metalworkers for example, the price is eleven euros. It’s not true that the industry pays little but pays the right amount. There isn’t a veto, on the contrary it’s a great challenge and we’re getting into the thick of the issues».