An incredible number of authorities present!!! One deputy per region, a president for each consular chamber, the City of Nice, the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, the cities of Cannes, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Grasse, Vence, Villeneuve-Loubet, Menton, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Antibes were present at the 15th anniversary of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Nice.
All the speakers agreed on the importance of improving the liaison infrastructures between Italy and France, which are a real weak link in the relationship between the two countries. Everyone highlighted the role that the PACA region, along with Piedmont, Liguria, Rhône-Alpes, and the Aosta Valley, could play in Europe.
Deputy Claudio Scajola, a former Italian Minister of the Interior and Minister of Industry, only three years ago, acknowledged the significant cultural difficulties existing between the two regions.
These difficulties have often been overcome thanks to the multiculturalism of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and its spirit of service towards businesses and local communities. He underscored how the Turin-Lyon route is too financially burdensome and congratulated the Deputy-Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, for reviving cooperation with Genoa and bringing the TGV to Ventimiglia, in search of simpler solutions.
Deputy Mayor of Menton Jean-Claude Guibal was very critical of many Franco-French initiatives and projects led by certain consular chambers. What results have our bodies achieved despite significant EU public funding? Why is access to this funding so difficult? Shouldn’t we defend the exceptional cultural diversity, the true wealth of Europe? Isn’t excessive isolation a danger to our region?
Senator Giuseppe Menardi, elected in Piedmont, former Mayor of Cuneo, recalls the enormous efforts made by our ancestors: he recalls how constructions like the Nice-Cuneo line or the Tende tunnel were technologically advanced and very difficult to realize for the time they were built, but they are completely obsolete today. He emphasizes that the current solutions like duplicating the Tende tunnel or upgrading the railway line are fallback solutions. He insists that we should have the courage to keep fighting for true and new connections rather than just upgrading existing structures.
Patrick Allemand, 1st Vice President of the PACA Region, and Dominique Estrosi-Sassone announced the various actions taken by the Region and the Metropolis.
Apart from the concrete activities of the Italian Chamber of Commerce, with a self-funded budget of 90%, the intervening authorities agreed on a general mea culpa and acknowledged that much has been done, but however, much remains to be done.
Bernard KLEYNHOFF, President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jean-Pierre GALVEZ, President of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts of the Alpes Maritimes, and Patrizia DALMASSO, the new President elected of the Italian Chamber of Commerce, participated by providing an entrepreneurial view of cross-border cooperation and expressing the needs of Italian and French SMEs.
by Michele Palmieri
