• Gruppo Crai withdraws masks for sale: "A few 50 cents"
  • Phase 2, Arcuri: "Graduality without underestimating the risks. Masks at a reduced price"
  • Mascherine, Arcuri signs contract with five Italian companies

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April 29, 2020 "The economic and financial situation is known, the crisis (from coronavirus) has first of all characteristics, size and duration which are completely unpredictable, common to those of others experienced in past decades. Its specificity is the 'disordered duration': we cannot to predict how long economic and social activities will be conditioned and will have to be limited ". So Commissioner Domenico Arcuri - who is also CEO of Invitalia - in a video hearing with the Finance and Productive Activities Commissions of the Chamber.

On shameful speculation masks, we buy them for € 0.38
The "target" of the maximum price of 50 cents per mask has been set "in the exclusive interest of citizens" to "annihilate a shameful speculation with respect to the primary good of health. It is a question on which we have reasoned a lot and has raised the screams of the few who are damaged by the measure, in the silence of the many citizens who are benefited and who have no media voice unlike others, "said the commissioner for the emergency coronavirus. "Before the crisis - he explained - a mask cost 0.08 euros each in Italy. During the first days of the crisis the price had reached at least 5 euros. There was no national production of these devices, previously considered consumer goods marginal and suddenly become primary consumer goods. We started from 8 cents per mask and we reached 5 euro. The analyzes of our offices tell me that the production cost of a mask is 5 cents: you understand what is the space profit of the category. The price has been set on the basis of some parameters. The 5 Italian companies are already supplying us with the masks and they will come to give us 660 million, and they sell us the goods at a price of 0.38 euros. it is a price that we consider 10 times higher than the production cost, to which the distribution cost must be added, and 20% higher than the cost at which we purchase ". 

Punishing those who speculate
"I asked that sanctions be provided for those who, despite the norm, sell masks at a higher price, says the commissioner for the coronavirus emergency.

At the end of summer 100% protection devices produced in Italy
" In the end in the summer we will be able to get rid of this burden (purchases abroad, ed) and say that we have 100 percent of personal protective equipment (dpi) produced in Italy, at the moment it is a quarter. I think that in 40 days not me, but the Italians have done a good job, "said Arcuri again.