Marshall Plan for the Italian Building Industry at the 31st Samoter

Five points for inclusion in the agenda in what was defined at Samoter – the international construction machinery exhibition scheduled in Verona until sunday – as the ‘Marshall plan’ for the Italian building industry. The meeting was attended by Stefano Patuanelli, member of the Senate Budget Commission, Ettore Rosato, Foreign Affairs Commission and Secretary of COPASIR, and Pier Paolo Giovannini, National Council of Surveyors.

“The construction industry is a supply chain that makes an important contributes to the Italian GDP, the growth of the country and the generation of wealth. Nevertheless, it has experienced tough times since 2008,” said Senator Stefano Patuanelli. “However, it is not enough simply to allocate resources to boost the sector. We must speed up completion times for work projects and also encourage training and innovation. In our opinion, the 110% superbonus is a virtuous measure which, by its very nature, had to have a fixed term. Today, eliminating this bonus is not needed. What is required is to structure a system of measures to favour planning and programming: entrepreneurs need certainties.”

“The construction sector has gone through serious recessions but has always found the strength to get going again,” said Ettore Rosato. “The shortage of labour is another critical issue today, but the use of innovative equipment requiring specific skills ensures qualified employment opportunities. I am in favour of bonuses but I believe that to be effective and avoid ‘doping’ the market, bonuses must envisage a participation fee paid by companies that implement them. We need to dose contributions and ensure they are stable.”

“The professional world supports incentives,” argued Pier Paolo Giovannini, “but a structured, long-term project is vital.”

At the end of the meeting, speakers defined five key points for the ‘Marshall plan for the Italian construction sector’:

1. – a structured project for investment planning with a time scope of 10-15 years;
2. – a system of programmed bonuses;
3. – a reward system for buildings that invest in efficiency features;
4. – the quality of building projects is central;
5. – the decision-making process must be quicker, by involving new resources and training in public offices.