The ceramics miracle that brings the PD, Confindustria, the M5S and Fratelli d’Italia together

The M5S voting alongside Fratelli d’Italia. Confindustria thanking the PD’s environment spokesperson, Annalisa Corrado. All thanks to ceramics. This unexpected picture has emerged following the European Parliament’s vote approving an increase in free CO₂ allowances for the most energy-intensive industries in certain sectors. To put it more technically, Strasbourg has given the green light to updating the heat- and fuel-based ETS benchmarks for the period 2026–2030, an essential step in moving forward with European negotiations between the Parliament, the Commission and the Council. In Italy, it is primarily ceramics manufacturers – concentrated in Emilia-Romagna, Puglia and Sicily – who stand to benefit from this greater flexibility. It is no coincidence that the president of the former region, Michele De Pascale, has long been advocating the need to ease the restrictions to prevent the definitive demise of the Sassuolo ceramics district, where almost 90 per cent of Italy’s tile production is concentrated. This industrial hub comprises around 70 companies and over 14,000 direct employees, a figure that rises to 40,000 when the wider supply chain is taken into account. This is why changes to European emissions regulations have a particularly significant impact on the local economy. And this is why even the M5S MEPs today say they are “proud” to have defended “a flagship of Made in Italy”, despite the revision of one of the pillars of European environmental policy.

However, the PD is at the forefront of calling for the vote. On one side is President Stefano Bonaccini, former president of Emilia-Romagna, and on the other, Annalisa Corrado. “Correcting parameters that unfairly penalise certain sectors means providing businesses with fairer conditions to invest in the transition and safeguard jobs and competitiveness,” commented the MEP. The text is also the result of her work on the Environment Committee, and it is surely no coincidence that, less than a month ago, the PD’s spokesperson on environmental policy was sitting in the front row at Cersaie, the major international ceramics event organised by Confindustria in Bologna. “Today we are pleased to note the unity among Italian political forces, across party lines, and in particular the strong commitment of the Democratic Party, led in Strasbourg by Annalisa Corrado,” commented Confindustria President Emanuele Orsini after the vote. This is a sign of understanding between industrialists and the PD, and in particular that section of the PD most closely linked to Elly Schlein – something that was by no means a foregone conclusion less than a year before the election. Indeed, the party secretary also commented on the vote with satisfaction, whilst Giuseppe Conte ignored the issue and let his MEPs speak for themselves. No reaction was received from the other leaders of the broad coalition. On the other hand, Nicola Procaccini (FdI) sees the vote as follows: “It represents a step in the right direction, because it corrects, at least in part, an approach by the European Commission that all too often sacrifices industrial competitiveness on the altar of environmentalist ideology.” The ceramics industry is grateful.