Alessandro Andreatta, mayor of Trento, welcomed all guest of the Economics Festival announcing next significant meeting to be held in town on September 10th-15th 2016: the Trento Smart City Week, since Trento – according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) – is one out the ten smartest city in the world. Another ambitious challenge for mayor Andreatta is to get the appointment of Trento as a Capital City for Culture in 2018.
Tito Boeri, in addition to his traditional role within the Festival, during last years was appointed as president at the National Security Insurance Agency (INPS). “Though my new task at national level I did not want to leave the Festival – says Boeri -, it is the only assignment I kept because thought emerging here is useful for INPS as well”. Yet, in Boeri opinion, the Festival and Trentino as a whole are a laboratory for national policies too. “For example, there is in progress a cooperation between INPS and Trentino about some welfare policies - outlines Boeri – while with the Trentino-Südtirol Region we are working on a test in order to introduce in the “Orange Envelope” (a simulation of future retirement allowance) the additional local social insurance, named Pensplan”.
Giuseppe Laterza, editorial partner of the Festival since the beginning, put in evidence how Italy, in order to to overtake crisi,s needs to be more self-confident on its strength points, as talented Italian people. “Italy has a potential to be valorised through higher quality in education as well as investments in R&D – argued Laterza – and the enthusiasm of people crowding Trento the Festival is a proof of it”. Laterza mentioned also the “Mondadori-Rizzoli” file, that will be afforded in a dedicated meeting during the Festival
Innocenzo Cipolletta treated the immigrants/refugees crisis, that from threat have to be turned into an opportunity of growth for our country and Europe as well. “What is happening now in Italy – argued Cipolletta – it is not so different from what passed a century ago with our immigrants moving to the US, contributing in making great that country”.
Gregorio De Felice, from a bankers point of view, outlined that we often talk about competitiveness among enterprises, but rarely we afford the same issue as a competitiveness among territories. “Among first 250 city in the world for positive business environment - outlined De Felice - only two Italian town are listed: Milan and Rome. Nevertheless almost 60% of Italian GDP comes from non-metropolitan area. Finally, concerning broad band - even if Trentino is an exception - Italy stands on the bottom of European rank”.
Ugo Rossi highlighted the important role of the Festival as a connection of Trentino, a small but ambitious territory, with the rest of the world. “Concerning the main issue of the present edition - pointed out Rossi - we hope the message emerging from the Festival will put in evidence that self-government is not exploiting resources of the country, but on the contrary is an useful tool for the growth of Italy itself. Yet, in our country all decision cannot be taken at national level, since there is a huge potential of self-government competences at local level that should be appreciated and supported, not ignored”.
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