Confindustria president Emanuele Orsini told the Unione Industriali di Napoli assembly that the Mezzogiorno is currently performing better than the rest of Italy, putting Southern Italy at the center of his remarks in Naples.
According to Il Mattino, ANSA and Il Denaro, which all reported on the assembly, Orsini said Italy needs to move forward with all its territories at the same speed, describing the South as fundamental for the country.
ZES figures at the center of the speech
To support his assessment, Orsini cited the results attributed to the ZES unica, Italy's single Special Economic Zone for the South.
The figures reported were more than 1,400 applications, over 9 billion euros in new investments and 25,000 jobs. The sources present these numbers as figures cited by Orsini; they do not independently document the methodology behind them.
Il Denaro also reported that Orsini pointed to faster procedures, with ZES authorizations obtainable within 30 days.
The sources do not provide the comparative economic indicators or time period underlying the statement that the Mezzogiorno is outperforming the rest of Italy.
Long-term measures, not temporary interventions
A second theme of Orsini's remarks was the type of policy the South needs.
He argued that Southern Italy needs long-term policy measures rather than temporary interventions and said he opposed short-term measures. ANSA reported his call for structural action, while Il Denaro linked that position to demands for less bureaucracy and more stable rules for investment.
Orsini described reducing bureaucracy as a priority and called for extending the single ZES model nationwide.
October proposals to include the South
Confindustria was preparing a set of ten policy proposals expected in October, according to the reports.
ANSA reported that one or two chapters of those proposals would be dedicated to Southern Italy. The sources do not establish whether those proposals were subsequently published or implemented.
For readers in Naples, that October package is the next step to watch: it would show which of the Naples assembly requests — long-term incentives, administrative simplification and the future of the ZES framework — Confindustria formally carried into its national platform.
Energy and European competitiveness
The discussion in Naples also covered energy costs, European industrial competitiveness and the need to accelerate renewable-energy deployment.
The reports do not go beyond identifying those topics as part of the debate. No detailed energy plan or Naples-specific measure is documented in the available research.
In practical terms, that means the Naples assembly left two open questions for businesses to follow: whether the ZES investment figures cited by Orsini translate into completed projects and jobs, and what concrete Southern Italy measures appear in Confindustria's October proposals.
