Assiterminal announces battle to counter the increase in Concessionary fees. The Director of the Association of Terminal Operators Italian dockers, Alessandro Ferrari, has announced that, after having discussed extensively with the governing bodies and with all the associated, Assiterminal has decided to launch two initiatives: a intervention at the Lazio Regional Administrative Court in the procedure already instituted for the annulment of the decree of 30 December 2022 of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, which establishes the update relating to the year 2023 of the value of concession fees maritime state property fixing an adjustment of +25.15% with respect to the Fees 2022, as well as the criteria of the decree law of 5 October 1993 laying down provisions for determining fees for maritime state concessions, and then proceed to a report to the European Commission.

Ferrari specified that the decision to act was hired after that in recent months Assiterminal has shared, also with the other associations of the cluster, the many initiatives of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and in particular of Deputy Minister Rixi, of the parliamentarians who welcomed the instances of the association, to try to intervene on the theme: "It was us, first - highlighted Ferrari - promoters of regulatory proposals, interpretative solutions: also The last attempt in the conversion of Decree-Law 75/23 did not Having had the desired result, it was rejected!'

Assiterminal expressed appreciation for those Authorities of Harbour System that meanwhile have taken time on the subject the increase in concession fees, pending some clarification or regulatory change. 'The recent decision of the Authority of Western Ligurian Sea System - Ferrari has detected - assumes further added value: postponement to 2023 adjustments, also in light of the recent suspensive judgment of the Council of State and, finally, also recognizes Covid refreshments for which Assiterminal had fought in the conversion of the Decree-Law 34/2020, for port operators who have suffered decreases in turnover of more than 20% in the years of pandemic'.

With the two initiatives Assiterminal intends to contest the mechanism of increase of the fee provided for by ministerial decree, above all - explained Ferrari - to the extent that it seems oblige the Port System Authorities to provide for this sense even when the fee is higher than the table minimum, and also contest the mechanism for calculating the duration and profitability and the division of responsibilities between Regulation, administration and business activities provided for by the implementing guidelines of the regulation pursuant to art. 18 of Law 84/1994.

"We would like to reiterate - specified the director of Assiterminal - that this is not an initiative "against" but in favor of the whole sector, as in the style of Assiterminal, to clarify, to speed up comparison, decisions, to give A clear set-up for our sector to promote a clear scenario companies investing in ports, in terms of regulation, regulation, rules of the game. We trust that we can solve everything, even within the path that will start on the reform of port governance, together with all actors, industrial and government to finally give certainty of orientations to our sector».