Good morning everyone. 

My greetings and thanks go to President Lavino. I immediately accepted his invitation to send my contribution to the 2023 Public Assembly of Cosmetica Italia [Italian national association of cosmetics companies], as the cosmetics industry is one of our Made in Italy gems.

Your industry gives Italy prestige and generates wealth, creating employment. You obviously know the figures better than I do, but it is always good to highlight them because this sector deserves to be better known, and I also believe it is important to make Italians understand what you do every day and the value of what you are able to create: a total turnover of EUR 33 billion and EUR 13 billion in sales in 2022, employing around 400 thousand people including the services and activities related to the sector. However, I am also thinking of the leading positions held by this sector on a global scale: Italian companies produce 67% of the make-up used across Europe and 55% of all the make-up used worldwide. Hardly anyone knows this. 

Not many people know that Italy is home to this sector’s skills, manufacturing, research and development, and that the world’s biggest brands also place their trust in Italian companies. We think we’re buying foreign products, but the truth is that they are produced in Italy.

Cosmetics manufactured in Italy are appreciated for their quality, creativity, safety and reliability. This industry’s record-breaking facts and figures make it a leading sector of Italian ‘know-how’, which is why our Government intends to give it the same attention that is given to industries that are better known among the general public: I am thinking of the fashion, food, design and automotive industries and all the other sectors that are well known around the world for being part of the great Made in Italy brand, making it so sought-after and desired. This is what sets us apart and will always set us apart: quality, the ability to be unique and do things that no one else can. 

You are masters in this and our task must of course be to enable you to work in the best way possible, to be able to respond to the challenges you are facing in the best way possible: internationalisation, promotion, digitalisation and sustainability. 
The Government is paying the utmost attention to these and many other issues. I shan’t go into this too much as Minister Urso will be with you today, providing details about the many things we have done during these first months in office, and what we still plan to do. 

Among the things we have done so far, there is the ‘Made in Italy around the world’ Committee, for example, the overall reform of the incentive system for companies, the postponement of the plastic tax, and the commitment to an education and training system that is better integrated with the world of production. 

We certainly have a lot of work to do, at both national and EU level, starting with a number of important measures such as the European Commission’s proposed rules on packaging, microplastics or urban waste water treatment, which is a battle we are already engaged in. We hope that these rules will be adopted to help companies rather than to hinder them. 

As you know, this Government has an ambitious programme: to carry out the reforms that Italy has been awaiting for decades, to unleash the best this nation has to offer and create the conditions for lasting and stable development. We are aware that we cannot succeed in this challenge alone, which is why we must be able to count on the strength of our companies, on the strength of our workers. The ‘Italian system’ has proven that it is solid, is able react better than others and is not afraid of competition. We just need to rediscover our self-confidence, and work together to restore the greatness this nation deserves.

I therefore thank all of you for what you represent, and I wish you all the best with your work.

[Courtesy translation]