• Highways, crucial hours: meeting at the ministry with the leaders of Aspi and Atlantia
  • Autostrade sinks into the stock market after the Consulta
  • Ponte Genova, Conte's ultimatum to Autostrade: make an acceptable proposal or revoke it
  • Ponte Genova, Consulta: legitimate to exclude Autostrade per l'Italia
  • Ponte Genova, De Micheli: "I confirm that it will be managed by Autostrade"

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09 July 2020 This time could really be the last chance given by the government to Autostrade: either within the next weekend a new proposal will come to protect the public interest, or the revocation of the concessions will be inevitable. This is the orientation that emerged after the face-to-face meeting held at the Ministry of Transport between the leaders of Aspi and Atlantia and the heads of cabinet of Mef and Mit. The meeting was held under the great pressing of the M5s to stop the concession.

Aspi's proposal is awaited
The request is always the same: a new proposal is needed, "this time satisfactory", to always and only protect the public interest. Starting from the assumption that the letters received so far by the counterpart that manages most of the Italian roads "are not" acceptable. The key points are: cutting the tariff on the network (by at least 5%), compensatory resources and penalties in the event of default for maintenance and checks. Without these elements on the table, the executive reiterates, the concessions resolution procedure cannot be interrupted.

Autostrade: "No comment"
The company, for its part, does not comment on what it filters after the meeting with the MIT and the managing directors of Atlantia and Aspi, Carlo Bertazzo and Roberto Tomasi leave the Ministry without exposing themselves to the reporters. The story is too delicate and the holding line is absolute silence, at least until there is a final decision on the matter by the respective boards. Certainly the decision of the Consulta came strong and almost unexpected, with the title of Atlantia which closed in Piazza Affari losing 8.2% to 13.1 euros.

The pressing of the pentastellati
From a political point of view, the story has dragged on for some time and the positions do not seem very compatible. The M5s has confirmed its line for two years: the government must revoke the contract to Aspi, what happened on August 14, 2018 cannot be put aside for mere economic reasons. Iv would like to avoid the legal clash, while the Democratic Party has always sought the path of mediation, with the minister Paola De Micheli who today preferred to pass the ball to the heads of the cabinet and did not personally meet the leaders of the two companies.

Conte's ultimatum
"Either a counterparty proposal comes that is particularly advantageous for the state or we proceed with the revocation, while aware that it involves legal pitfalls", is the line signed by Giuseppe Conte, tired of the criticisms of those who claim that the government has prevaricated too much on the matter. In or out within the next week in short, to archive a grain that has been going on for too long. The same sources make it known in the next CDM the Aspi issue will be addressed.

Salvini awaits the legal opinion
The leader of the Lega on La7 also intervened: "On Autostrade I just want them to choose, but one says white, the other says black. Meanwhile, this blockade is seizing Liguria. Now we have a legal choice, now you have to have the legal opinions: if there are the revoked extremes, otherwise extensions. I don't have the legal opinion ".

The "sacrifice" of Benetton
"The Benettons are ready to step back" by relinquishing control of Autostrade per italia and the descent "would take place through a capital increase", a move that "could be a decisive element in the dynamics of the negotiation between the company and the executive, all the more after the decision of the Consulta ". Il Sole 24 Ore reveals it. The move by the Benetton family would lead to the entry of one or more strong partners in a relevant position in terms of governance. There are two conditions imposed by Ponzano Veneto for the reorganization of Aspi, a subsidiary of Atlantia: the first is the capital increase, the second is that the subjects who will be part of the new shareholding structure have broad shoulders in terms of financial capacity. "In short - underlines Il Sole 24 Ore - equity must be put on the plate, not debt".