The Italian government has appointed a special commissioner to tackle environmental issues and rebuild the ILVA steel mill in the port city of Taranto. The long-awaited decree should save the plant, mired in growing environmental and corruption scandals, save thousands of jobs and 40% of the country's steel production.
ILVA has been at the center of political and judicial litigation since July 2012, when a local magistrate ordered it to partially shut down and seize assets on suspicion of environmental crimes. Police confiscated € 9.3 billion in “asset value” belonging to the owners of the ILVA group when the board of directors resigned en masse.
Preserving ILVA, a plant that produces nearly all the steel in the country for the automotive, shipping and household appliances industries and employs some 20,000 workers, has become a priority for Prime Minister Enrico Letta's government. The government has appointed Mr Enrico Bondi as ILVA Commissioner. At the same time, the government decided to release EUR 8.1 billion previously confiscated by the Taranto prosecutor.
Bondi, 78, made a name for himself restructuring the chemical giant Montedison following a major scandal in the 1990s and reviving the dairy group Parmalat after the biggest fictitious bankruptcy in Europe in 2003.
Bondi will be assisted by a committee of 5 people appointed by the Minister of the Environment. Within 60 days, they must draw up a list of proposals and measures to protect the health of workers and the public, the integrity of the environment and the prevention of major accidents during the production process. As a commissioner, he will have broad powers for three years.
