Dear all,
I am very sorry that I am unable to attend the second edition of the Abruzzo Economy Summit in person, but I nevertheless wanted to send a message on behalf of the Government to such an important and highly respected initiative. My greetings and thanks go to the President of the Abruzzo Region, Marco Marsilio, for promoting this two-day event, and I also wish to thank all those representing institutions, production categories and the economy who will speak there.

Events such as these, whose aim is to put the local economic and business fabric directly in touch with major issues at both national and international level, are a virtuous model that should be promoted, as they make it possible to achieve two objectives: on the one hand, to preserve the excellence of specific sectors of the economy and, on the other, to make results, best practices and success stories available to a wider audience.

Italy is a mosaic of regions with extraordinary potential. Each area of the country has talents and resources that deserve to be known about, enhanced and, above all, networked. The Abruzzo region is an example of this: at the heart of Italy, it enjoys a uniquely strategic position; it is ‘the green region of Europe’, boasting a natural heritage that includes mountains and the sea, which allows it to offer accessible, high-quality and sustainable tourism; it is also devoted to sector-specific industries organised in supply chains, such as the automotive and pharmaceutical industries.

Highly distinguished proposals and initiatives can come from local areas, examples of which undoubtedly include ‘MMAP’, the alliance promoted by the Abruzzo Region to develop the central-southern Adriatic coast. This strategic project involves another three regions (the Marche, Molise and Apulia regions) and aims to achieve extremely concrete results. I am thinking, for example, of infrastructure improvements such as the Adriatic railway line, high-speed rail and the third lane of the A14 motorway, the strengthening of healthcare services and cooperation regarding the management of civil protection risks and post-earthquake reconstruction work. These are long-term, structural measures that are able to generate wealth and well-being, and this is precisely what we intend to do at the nation’s helm: give form and substance to a medium and long-term vision able to build the Italy of tomorrow, imagining a future for our children and grandchildren. Every euro spent in investments and infrastructure is a euro invested for a more dynamic and competitive nation that is able to keep pace with the challenges of our time.

The Government will build on the contributions from the Abruzzo Economy Summit, because it is only by listening to those who know and love the area where they live and work that we can draw up and implement the most effective development policies, not only at local level but at national and international level too.

Long live Abruzzo! Long live Italy!

I wish you all the best with your work.

[Courtesy translation]