• ArcelorMittal, hearing postponed to 6 March
  • Conte in London meets the leaders of ArcelorMittal: "Create premises for public entry"
  • Arcelor Mittal, former Ilva commissioners: farewell GDP reduction of 3.5 billion euros

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By Tiziana Di Giovannandrea February 7, 2020 With the postponement to March 6 of the hearing at the Court of Milan on the appeal presented by the commissioners of the former Ilva against Arcelor Mittal, the longer the time to negotiate and find an agreement on the new business plan. The hearing should have been held in Milan on February 7, before judge Claudio Marangoni. At this time the parties will undertake - at least until February 28 - to file the final details and try to reach a definitive agreement for the Taranto plant.

Although the pre-agreement on the future of Ilva has been reached, the government intervenes and warns that the foundations for an agreement are there, as long as Mittal revokes the withdrawal.

If a shared document is reached, the parties will revoke the respective appeals with which they started the dispute. After which the judge, following the formal passage in court on 6 March, will close the case. Otherwise, the commissioners of the former Ilva and the Franco-Indian multinational will not be granted further extensions and will be sentenced. In the meantime, Ancelor Mittal has reaffirmed its desire to remain in Italy and has committed itself to maintaining the agreed production levels.

"The technical agreement reached represents an important step towards an overall improvement of the structure of the Taranto plant", explained the government in the evening, adding how it aims to make Taranto "a European leader of green steel, creating in the South the first concrete example of implementation of the Green New Deal ". As a prerequisite for the new contract it is necessary that "Arcelor Mittal revoke its intention of withdrawal and renounce the civil action taken at the Court of Milan".

To be able to reach the agreement there are still some different knots to untie. First of all, the obstacle of criminal immunity , which Arcelor Mittal, from the beginning, asked to restore.

Then there is the problem of the participation of the State which is to be formalized by 30 November and which should provide for the entry of Invitalia or Cassa Depositi e Prestiti into the new company 'Green Co' which will have to guide the ex Ilva company on the path of decarbonisation. If the agreement on this point is not reached, Arcelor Mittal can withdraw from the contract by paying 500 million euros.

Another big issue concerns any redundancies : there is a general commitment to use the Cassa Integrazione Ordinaria for the 4 years in which the investments will be made, but agreement will be required with the unions that have so far remained out of the negotiation.