The new investigation by the Taranto Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking house arrest for Ilva’s former chief executive, Lucia Morselli, whilst the plant is running out of raw materials and losing 50 million a month. Amidst investigations, administration orders and billion-euro investments that fail to materialise, the future of the Italian steel industry already seems sealed

A decision has been made to shut down the last blast furnace, but even the go-ahead would not guarantee a restart. Electric furnaces remain on paper; ‘green hydrogen’ is a slogan without an industrial plan; and over ten thousand residents of Taranto are celebrating the end of the hot zone.

The strike called in Sicily and Calabria will last until 20 October, whilst in Puglia and Basilicata, spontaneous protests by lorry drivers and farmers are continuing. Rising fuel prices are becoming a matter of public order

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that “a company in difficulty cannot benefit from the concessions provided for companies with high electricity or gas consumption”.

The judges in Milan have upheld the ruling issued at the end of July ordering the shutdown of the hot end (coking plants and blast furnaces) at the Taranto plant within 90 days; this must therefore be implemented by 28 October