Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio
on Wednesday said the government will oppose the suit filed by
ArcelorMittal Tuesday to get out of their contract to take over
the former ILVA steel works, including its Taranto plant, the
biggest in Europe.
"We will oppose" the request presented by ArcelorMittal to
rescind the contract, Di Maio told Radio24.
"The contract must be respected", the foreign minister also
said.
The suit arrived on the table of the president of the Milan
court, Roberto Bichi, who will now assign it to one of two
sections specialized in business cases, judicial sources said.
Bichi is scheduled to assign the case on Wednesday.
The former ILVA group's three extraordinary commissioners are
expected to file an appeal by Friday stating that the juridical
conditions do not exist for the Franco-Indian steel giant, the
world's largest, to pull out of the takeover deal.
Meanwhile tension in the government majority is high as the
5-Star Movement (M5S) does not want to reintroduce a 'penal
shield' protecting manages from crimnal action during a cleanup
of the highly polluting Taranto plant whose lifting was cited by
Arcelor to pull out of the deal.
Premier Giuseppe Conte and M5S's ruling partner, the
Democratic Party (PD), are in favor of bringing the shield back,
provided ArcelorMittal agree to remain.
The Lower House's finance commission, meanwhile, judged as
inadmissible amendments presented by Italia Viva and Forza
Italia to reintroduce it.
ArcelorMittal has said it needs to pull out citing the
lifting of the 'penal shield' and the necessity of shedding
5,000workers across the group, which employs over 8,000 people
at Taranto and some 3,000 more at Genoa and Novi Ligure.
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