Speaking in front of hundreds of trade union representatives, the President of the Region and Italian MEP Leonardo Domincini, Schulz praised the current Italian government, led by PES Member Party Partito Democratico, for its promise to provide 25 million Euros to modernise the site and restart sustainable eco-friendly production, “The European crisis can only be defeated by teamwork, and the government’s cooperation with regional authorities in this issue is a great example of that. The new agreement offers the possibility to turn Piombino into a European model for the production of clean, quality steel.” he stated.
In his speech, Schulz underlined the importance of maintaining European industrial competitiveness, especially in light of industrial powers in Asia, whilst not sacrificing social standards, racing wages to the bottom or compromising European environment. “The steel crisis is not a just a crisis of a small region, but a European crisis” Schulz stated “We need to support European industry by increasing investment, strengthening innovation, revising competition rules, strengthening our position in international trade and creating a common energy policy. With such support I am confident that Europe can meet the challenge of re-industrialisation, boost production, growth and jobs.
Read the full speech in Italian here (check against delivery).
