"The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, reiterated once again the strategic centrality of the economies of the and the need for a clear and coherent vision. The Minister Nello Musumeci, together with the other institutional speakers, recalled the importance of building a shared path, capable of systematizing skills, tools and responsibilities, as was the case for the Sea Resource bill. However, the path started on the reform of port governance does not seem to be having followed this logic of sharing to the end". The noted Tomaso Cognolato, president of Assiterminal and contact person of ports in the GT Economy of the Sea of Confindustria coordinated by Mario Zanetti, speaking today in Genoa at the event "Genoa and Liguria: Capitals of the Sea 2026 - The Blue Engine of Growth economic and employment" promoted by Confindustria.

"The measure - specified Cognolato - is was set up without a full involvement of the actors of the sector and, to our knowledge, has not yet completed its process at the State Accounting Office. This situation has in fact led to a slowdown, if not a block, of many initiatives and operational processes of the Port System Authorities, which They are now in a phase of waiting and uncertainty. For this reason, We believe it is essential to reopen a structured and concrete discussion at the national level, by activating a collaboration table that aligns strategic vision, regulatory tools and implementation capacity".

"We fully agree - specified the president of the Italian Association of Port Terminal Operators - the objectives indicated by the government: to strengthen the role of the port system, make it more efficient and competitive, and equip it with a Stronger governance. But precisely for this reason it is it is necessary that the path is built and managed in a truly participated. We need a strong central direction, but also of a system that is shared, stable and immediately operational. Otherwise, the risk is what we are already Seeing today: a condition of uncertainty that slows down decisions and weakens the entire system."

Cognolato also dwelt on the issue of "Ours," he observed, "is an area highly specialized, in which the training course, insertion and start to work is structured and regulated. In Italy, this system is based on a precise pillar: the contract national labour collective of the port sector, shared between companies and trade unions, which over time has guaranteed balance, stability and business continuity. Up to a few months ago, despite the physiological confrontation between the social partners - he pointed out - the system worked: we negotiated, we found agreements and operated within a certain framework. Today, however, A significant criticality has opened up, as we denounce for months now. Some guidelines on holiday pay resulting from decisions at European level, progressively transposed also by Italian jurisprudence, are producing effects that go far beyond the specific cases for which they were originally thought. The real risk is that these guidelines will be also extended to different contexts, affecting structured and stable jobs, such as those of the port system. The consequences - underlined the president of Assiterminal - could be very significant, also in economic terms, with potential impacts in the order of hundreds of millions of euros for the system. But above all, an essential element is missing: the legal certainty. If a collective agreement, legitimately signed between the parties, may be called into question ex post, it becomes difficult to plan, invest and guarantee Business continuity. For this you need a clarification intervention. We need a unified position, both from trade unions both by the Government and by the reaffirms the validity of the contract and protects its system. The point is simple: either you fully recognize the value of the collective agreement signed - concluded Cognolato - or a path to redefine it formally opens. But you can't leave the system in a gray area of uncertainty."