The road to the extraordinary administration of the former Ilva is downhill, but an agreement at the last crossroads is still possible.
The certainty is that in the government's intention in both cases the result must be the same: guaranteeing the relaunch of production, employment and the environmental reconversion of the Taranto factories.
The Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, takes stock of the matter in the Industry Committee of the Senate, confirming that between the shareholders, Invitalia and Arcelor Mittal, the discussion "is still ongoing" but in the absence of solutions "after having safeguarded the credits of the related industries, we will proceed to the administration; all the tools have been activated".
Technically the government can act at any time, the gears are oiled and ready, but a soft exit for Mittal from Acciaierie d'Italia is still being sought on a tightrope, thus avoiding the burden of a probable legal battle.
Despite the negotiations, the climate is one of conflict.
Urso sinks: "I was surprised to learn that the CEO of Acciaierie d'Italia did not even come to the hearing to give the information that Parliament decided to ask for.
This information was not even given to the public shareholder and the full commissioners of the systems".
He is ready for Acciaierie's reply which states, regarding the information on the related industries, that it has "never received any request from Sace", defining the statements that have appeared in the press in recent days as "without any foundation".
The company also explains that it "has not been summoned by the Senate Industry Committee", at the same time expressing its availability.
Soon, from the Industry commission of Palazzo Madama, President Luca De Carlo clarified: we "invited the presidency of Acciaierie d'Italia to be heard on the Ilva decrees" but "he decided not to comply with the invitation".
I welcome the renewed availability", states De Carlo, saying he is "ready to hear them in the commission already in next Tuesday's session".
The time factor is pressing on the dialogue between the parties. There is none left available. The unions' alarm is now constant. Fiom warns "that the current operating arrangements could lead to irreversible plant shutdown situations" and requests an urgent meeting with the CEO and the plant manager "to obtain detailed information".
There is also a clash on the political front.
The vice-president and economic coordinator of the M5s, Mario Turco, accuses the government of "amateur management of the Ilva affair", underlining that placing a commissioner is not the solution.
The executive, says Turco, "must make us understand what the perspective is for the entire Taranto area and whether we really want to carry out a process of socio-economic transformation of the city towards a more sustainable horizon".
Taranto but not only that, because the other former Ilva factories are also suffering.
"The financial crisis has led to the blocking of another production line in the Cornigliano plant, in Genoa", report Democratic Party senators Annamaria Furlan and Lorenzo Basso.
"A stoppage - they explain - involving 250 workers, unable to work due to a fault that the maintenance company did not repair because it was not paid".
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA