'Save-ILVA' decree to clear EC scrutiny

(ANSA) - Brussels, March 6 - The Italian environment minister, speaking from a summit in Brussels Friday, said he did not expect the European Commission to balk at Italian measures passed this week to save the insolvent and pollution-plagued ILVA steel plant in southern Italy.
    A decree rescuing the ILVA plant at Taranto in Puglia was converted into law by the House Tuesday with 284 ayes, 126 nays and 50 abstentions.
    "I expect there won't be any findings on the part of the European Commission. We have done everything in line with European rules so that ILVA can return to being a leading company in the (steel) sector, with a very high environmental standard," said Gian Luca Galletti on the sidelines of a meeting of EU environmental ministers taking place in Brussels. "We maintain that (the measures) can not be construed as state aid," Galletti added.
    Gallati reiterated the will to respect guidelines communicated in the past by the European Commission. "We have made a highly detailed environmental plan. The document presented in Brussels calls for all the requirements to be carried out by August 2016". "The ILVA decree says that 80% of the requirements must be done by August 2015, while the other 20% must respect the date established of August 2016". Last month the cash-strapped steel manufacturer got 400 million euros in State-backed loans from the national government's Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP).
    The cabinet also approved a 260-million euro bridge loan.
    Extraordinary commissioners are now managing ILVA as the troubled plant goes through a massive environmental cleanup and financial turnaround project.
    ILVA also recently agreed with unions to make 4,074 instead of 4,459 workers redundant as of March 2.
    Those workers will remain on the books another 12 months under so-called solidarity contracts, or subsidised short-time working schemes, FIM CISL union said.
    Under solidarity contracts, workers agree to change their hours or pay conditions to prevent redundancies.