Having attention for Fiat and related
Italian brands also involves criticising managerial decisions
that have not been in the interests of the country, Premier
Giorgia Meloni said during a parliamentary question time on
Wednesday.
"The Fiat group and its related Italian brands represent a very
important part of Italy's industrial history in terms of
employment and the wealth generated," said Meloni.
"It is an economic heritage that deserves the utmost attention,
and this also means having the courage to criticise certain
choices made by the management and by the group when they have
not been in Italy's interests, as I have happened to do, often
to general indifference," she continued.
Fiat comes under the auspices of multinational car manufacturer
Stellantis, formed in 2021 from the merger of Italian-American
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group.
Debatable choices include the decision to "transfer of the
(company's) legal and fiscal headquarters out of Italy or the
merger that concealed a French takeover of the historic Italian
group", Meloni told parliament.
"So much so that a member of the French government now sits on
the board of directors of FCA; it is no coincidence that the
group's industrial choices take French demands into greater
consideration than Italian ones," she added.
The premier reiterated that the aim is to return to producing a
million vehicles a year in Italy "with those who really want to
invest in historic Italian excellence".
"If you want to sell cars on the international market by
advertising them as Italian jewels, then those cars must be
produced in Italy," insisted Meloni.
Since taking office in autumn 2022, the Meloni government has
insisted on the need to reverse the decline in car production in
Italy in recent years, particularly by getting Stellantis to
bring manufacturing back to the country.
Last month the group cnfirmed its commitment to reach a
production level of one million cars and commercial vehicles per
year in Italy under its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.
In a statement released after a meeting at the business and Made
in Italy ministry, the group reaffirmed "the centrality of
Italy" in its global strategy and the "will to create a
sustainable future for its Italian operations".
On Friday Business and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso also
said the government is trying to get a second car manufacturer
to set up in Italy in order to reach the overall target of
producing 1.4 million vehicles a year in Italy.
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