NATA: Dr. Lo Mastro continues to arouse interest in the study of national excellence. Do you reveal the identity of today’s guest to us?
LOMASTRO: Senator Salvatore Margiotta, Undersecretary for Infrastructure and Transport, engineer and university professor.
NATA: North and South … the difference in transport is huge not only for passengers embarking on the “long crossings” to the south, but also for goods … so much so that it is legitimate to speak of a country for two speed. How to bridge this abysmal difference?
MARGIOTTA: Some strategic works will be financed. These also include the design and upgrading of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria, Taranto-Metaponto-Potenza-Battipaglia lines with high-speed network characteristics. The situation in the other southern regions and in the islands continues to be problematic. The connections in Calabria and Sicily must be rethought … it is not the solution to everything, but it will certainly give a strong boost to development.
NATA: What is the Recovery Fund, how it works, what is its meaning and why it is so important. Many citizens ask this.
MARGIOTTA: 209 billion euros to be spent in six years, if it is not possible to allocate them in that period of time … they must be returned. Some will be invested in projects already underway, 130 billion is foreseen on new interventions to be identified as part of EU strategic programs to learn from the crisis and make the single market stronger and more resilient and accelerate the dual green and digital transition . However, we cannot think of Recovery only as an opportunity for spending, but also as a way to implement strong reforms that make it possible to invest in the best possible way to allow our country to leap in quality. There is great attention not to waste a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Italy.
NATA: The crises that occur unexpectedly, it is the case of this caused by the pandemic… and then the difficulties, the falls … lead to reflect and often to get up stronger than before. Does it also apply to Italy today?
MARGIOTTA: The Chinese ideogram of the word crisis contains an image that means risk and one that means opportunity. It is a classic case. We have the risk of not getting up and the opportunity to run faster. The rebound that follows the collapse, as it also happens on the stock market, we hope that it can return to an economic, social and cultural level not only like that before Covid, but even higher and more satisfactory.
NATA: Dr. Lomastro, you have the floor for the ritual question.
LOMASTRO: We conclude our meeting by asking our guest, also on behalf of the publisher Luigi Lauro, what does your excellence represent for you?
MARGIOTTA: The work of Excellence Magazine helps me to say what excellence is for me. Our country with its human, cultural and natural resources best represents the meaning of Excellence. We give these assets the right value every day. Thank you!
