Politics · Italy · 11 hrs ago
Schlein calls for measures to boost Italy’s growth and small businesses
Elly Schlein called for a plan to restart Italy’s economic growth at a small-business forum in Rome.
She said small and medium-sized firms need support, while business mergers should protect local roots and company identities.
Schlein proposed speeding up permits for renewable energy projects, saying Italy takes six or seven years to approve them compared with two or three years in Spain.
She also called for a new EU-wide industrial plan, arguing that the bloc needs more funding to build strategic independence.
Schlein praised a deal between employer and union groups on workplace representation and wage agreements, including regular inflation adjustments.
Giuseppe Conte said small-business productivity must be supported to help struggling groups, but the available account does not give further details of his proposals.
Elly Schlein called for measures to restart Italy’s economic growth and support small and medium-sized businesses.
Speaking at Confindustria’s Small Business Forum in Rome, she proposed a three-part plan, beginning with lower energy costs and faster approvals for renewable energy projects.
She said Italy should encourage business groupings while protecting companies’ local roots and identities from acquisitions by large foreign funds.
Schlein also called for a new Next Generation EU programme focused on European industry and strategic autonomy.
Giuseppe Conte said small and medium-sized businesses need support to raise productivity.
- Who
- Elly Schlein, leader of the Democratic Party, and Giuseppe Conte.
- What
- Schlein called for measures to restart growth and support small businesses. Conte said small and medium-sized businesses need support to raise productivity.
- When
- 14 November 2026.
- Where
- Confindustria’s Small Business Forum in Rome.
- Why
- Schlein said Italy needs to restart growth and address issues including energy costs and the absence of an industrial policy.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
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- Forum
- Confindustria’s Small Business Forum
- Location
- Rome
- Schlein’s party
- Democratic Party
- Energy proposal
- A national unit to halve authorization times for renewable energy projects
- Economic growth
- Italy’s GDP grew by 12.6% in 2021–2022, according to Conte
What people are saying
We need to restart this country's growth.
We are not condemned to have the most expensive wholesale energy costs in Europe.
The absence of an industrial policy in this country is a problem and it cannot be attributed only to this government.
If we do not grow and support small and medium-sized businesses, we will get nowhere.