Alitalia, EU: compensation for Covid damages ok at 24.7 million euros

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• Alitalia, EU: agreement to "work together and find viable solutions"

• Alitalia, the INPS paid the agreed indemnities over the weekend

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March 26, 2021 The European Commission has approved aid of 24.7 million to compensate for the damage suffered by Alitalia due to the pandemic in November and December.

This is what a note from the EU executive states.

According to the vice president of the Commission, Margrethe Vestager, "the Coronavirus emergency and the restrictions to limit its spread are lasting longer than we hoped".

"The measure approved today - he specified - allows Italy to further compensate the direct damages suffered by Alitalia between November and December 2020 due to these restrictions".

"Our investigations on the support measures adopted in the past in favor of Alitalia are continuing and we are in contact with the Italian authorities, with whom we exchange information regarding their plans and compliance with EU rules", concluded Vestager. 

The work will continue with technical

.

In the third videoconference interview on the Alitalia issue between Margrethe Vestager and the Ministers of Economy and Finance, Daniele Franco, of Economic Development, Giancarlo Giorgetti, and of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility, Enrico Giovannini, it was agreed to update itself in the coming days to the light of further technical insights.

In the interview defined as "constructive" by Brussels and with the recognition, repeatedly stated by Vestager towards the Italian Executive, of a "constructive approach" considered "essential", the reaffirmed objective on the Alitalia dossier is that of creating a solid carrier - a Newco, Ita, which should inherit Alitalia assets and personnel in Extraordinary Administration - sustainable and independent that can start operating as soon as possible in the sign of discontinuity.

The Government has accelerated the confrontation with Vestager to get the green light for the sale of the aviation branch to Newco, Ita.

Handling and maintenance will instead be put up for tender.

"The goal of the departure of the Newco Ita is by June-July. For this we must accelerate. The time factor is decisive. It is our interest that Ita leaves as soon as possible. We are already late, Ita should have been operational by April" Giorgetti said during a hearing on Alitalia last week.

The ministers and the Commissioner agreed to update themselves in the next few days, in a new political meeting, around mid-April, in the light of further technical analyzes because a positive result is to be achieved in a relatively short time.

In any case, the plan presented last December by president Francesco Caio and CEO Fabio Lazzerini will be modified.

The intention is to create a leaner structure with 5 aircraft (52 in the December version) and with a maximum of 4,500 employees compared to the 5,500 of the initial plan.

Alitalia has around 11,000 workers with an uncertain future given the probable increase in redundancies. 

"We hope that the negotiations with Europe on Alitalia will have a positive outcome. The Italian government is committed to ensuring that redundancies are reduced to a minimum and, above all, it is possible to access the resources to pay the salaries" of the employees .

This is how the Minister of Labor, Andrea Orlando, spoke on Tg4.