Last day of meetings and debates at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio. After the discussions on the global economy and the European Agenda, today the focus is on Italy's prospects.
In the traditional session dedicated to the opposition, Angelo Bonelli, spokesperson for the Green and Left Alliance, Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva, Elly Schlein, secretary of the Democratic Party and, in connection, the president of the 5 Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, are present.
We then talk about energy policies, infrastructure and competitiveness with the ministers Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Matteo Salvini, Carlo Nordio and Paolo Zangrillo, while the minister Marina Calderone, with the president of the CNEL Renato Brunetta, is entrusted with the topic of work, skills and opportunities for the young generations. The closing, dedicated to Economy and Finance, is entrusted to Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti.
Schlein: 'We will be ready whenever we vote'
"We will vote at any time, because this is in the hands of the government, we will be ready, this is our responsibility." The secretary of the Democratic Party Elly Schlein said this on the sidelines of the Teha Forum in Cernobbio, responding to those who asked him to comment on the possibility of an election day in May, with also the vote for the local elections. "And this is why in these three and a half years of stubbornly united work we have already moved forward on the issues of public health, education, research, industrial policy, decent work, the rights of democracy - he added -. On all these issues we have already made unitary proposals that hold our alliance together. So, since we are not starting from scratch, it is time to refine these proposals of ours for the country among the people".
"I also think that the path of the arms race of the individual 27 states, with their uncoordinated armies does not increase the efficiency of military spending and does not increase deterrence" added Schlein. "Having the courage to make a big leap forward in integration also means developing a true common defense - he added -, towards a common army. However, if you accept, making a 5% mistake in military spending and are not in favor of common European defence, which is Giorgia Meloni's position, it only means one thing, that is, buying more weapons from Trump".
Conte: 'Continue with the program on work, environment and conflict of interest'
"We have already worked together on the program, we have already accumulated significant proposals on labor and environmental policies and some important elements such as the law on conflict of interests" said the president of the 5 Star Movement Giuseppe Conte at the Teha Forum in Cernobbio underlining that "for foreign policy our positions are very clear, we all agree that Europe does not benefit from the military escalation which is draining many resources". "Some sectors have been advantaged - he explains - others have not, and the military commitments have been written irresponsibly, Meloni knows that we cannot spend 5% of the budget on armaments".
"I am more determined than ever" in the proposal "to create a national sovereign development fund, we have important assets, assets which are not used by the State and large private savings" Conte said. "It is a concrete program of how to make the country grow. I have presented a bill on this to the House and one to the Senate - he added - with the details of this project". "With this public endowment we must create an important asset for purposes of public interest. To preserve our social model while definancing health spending - he concluded - we must invest in human capital and we can do it with this public fund, which will give adequate remuneration to those who participate".
Renzi: 'Centre-left with a German contract sends the government home'
"I think that Giorgia Meloni has every interest in attacking the opposition but if Meloni is in government it's because we were divided last time." The leader of Italia Viva Matteo Renzi explained this at the Teha Forum in Cernobbio. "Because Meloni never had 40%, not even 30%, he got 25.9% the other time, that is, the same percentage with which Bersani lost - he added -. They won because we were divided". "If the centre-left agrees on specific points with a German-style contract, it will not only send Urso and Salvini home but can give Europe the idea of an Italy as a protagonist - he concluded - and which is not an Italy that simply simply floats".
"I think it is better to vote in May, because half of Italy votes and to avoid a summer election campaign" added Renzi. "On the basis of this - he continues - the primaries are then held". "It's a bit like the Palio of Siena - he specifies - and the horse that enters the field is Meloni who decides when to vote, then Salvini will arrive, he is usually late for everything, and ask him if he intends to delay the elections too". "Then to win the elections - he underlines - I think we need a place or a house to intercept the consensus of those who want a reformist vote". "It is clear that there must be military spending, but there must be European spending" added Renzi, underlining that "but then we also need to have innovation, and I think that if we bring the brains back to Italy and perhaps those fleeing from Trump we could have the so-called 'dual use' with effects not only on defense but also on security".
Pichetto: 'The concept of extra profits does not exist, efforts have already been made'
"I am convinced that extra profits as well as extra losses is not a concept that exists in economics. Asking for an effort, agreeing on an effort has already been done, it was done with the bill decree of February, with an intervention in this case which concerned an amount of 500 million, but it was financed in this way with an increase in IRAP". The Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said this on the sidelines of the Cernobbio Forum: "The greatest profit exists where there is a convenience. Where there is a favorable market condition and someone has greater profits due to greater revenues also. On this - Pichetto points out - I believe that we cannot go to state mechanisms where we randomly go looking for extra profits by giving a concept that does not exist with penalization because it does not provide market security". "It's a different matter - he concludes - on the large business system, national companies that have a responsibility and many are also owned by the State".
In Cernobbio, Trump's foreign policy was rejected by over 90% of businesses
Clear rejection of the foreign policy conducted by the Trump administration by the audience of over 200 entrepreneurs and managers gathered at Villa d'Este for the 52nd edition of the Teha Forum in Cernobbio. Asked to express an opinion on the foreign policy actions of the White House on a scale from 1 ("very negatively") to 9 ("very positively"), over 90% of the respondents (90.2% overall) in a survey gave an insufficient rating between 1 and 4. Specifically, there was a strong surge for the minimum score '1' (very negatively), chosen by 58.5% of the participants, almost triple compared to the 20.5% of the survey 2025. The band of negative votes is completed by score 2 with 17.1% (down from 23.1% in 2025), score 3 with 12.2% (from 12.8% in 2025) and score 4 with 2.4% (down sharply from 15.4% in 2025). The share of those assigning an intermediate grade of 5 stands at 4.9% (compared to 7.7% in 2025). Marked contraction for positive opinions (scores from 6 to 9), which fell overall to 4.8% (compared to the 20.5% recorded in 2025): the score 6 stood at 0% (from 5.1% in 2025), while the scores 7 and 8 both stood at 2.4% (from 5.1% and 10.3% respectively the previous year).
