Electric cars, autonomous driving, vehicle connectivity and infrastructure, but also political strategies to make Europe a power globally. And then again the progress of cardiological technologies, the innovations of the cultural and creative industry of made in Italy. All of this was discussed during the second morning of the Festival del Futuro, an event promoted by the Athesis Publishing Group, Harvard Business Review Italia and Business Excellence, now in its third edition and running until tomorrow at Veronafiere.
The day began with the round table "Europe between strategic autonomy and new globalization", which was attended by Massimo Gaudina, head of the European Commission Representation in Milan, Marco Piantini, Cabinet expert of Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni at the European Commission, Nicoletta Pirozzi, head of the EU program, politics and institutions of the Istituto Affari Internazionali, Paolo Guerrieri , professor of Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences-Po and Business School of the University of San Diego in California, and Danilo Taino, columnist for Corriere della Sera. What will the EU look like in ten to twenty years? Will it be able to become an autonomous strategic actor, capable of having a significant weight on the international scene? The main obstacle, according to the speakers, will be to be able to find a convergence of all member countries with respect to the strategic objectives of the Union. If up to now it has been France and Germany that have pushed for integration in various sectors, now the other countries must also take some steps forward, starting with Italy., and they must do so quickly to respond to the great global changes underway. According to Gaudina, the fact of being an autonomous power in the world today depends less and less on the balance of power between countries and more and more on the ability to influence major international challenges in a cooperative way. “There are sectors in which Europe has moved proactively and played a significant role. First of all, the fight against climate change and then the health sector, where we were able to overcome the vaccine nationalism approach and negotiate together with pharmaceutical companies ", he noted. Gaudina. “Up to now Europe has been in the front row, now it must try to gain increasing weight also in other areas such as foreign policy, defense, migration, values and the environment”.
From politics to health. Giulio Molon, Uoc director of Cardiology at the Irccs Sacro Cuore Don Calabria in Negrar, he told about the advances in cardiological technologies, starting with the new ones pacemaker, two centimeters large by two grams of weight, with a battery lasting more than twelve years, able to connect to smartphones to provide information remotely, without the need for outpatient checks.
The second round table focused instead on the new paradigms of sustainable mobility and saw Gabriele Grea, Research fellow of Green at Bocconi University, Gabriele Catacchio, global e-mobility communication manager of Stellantis, Alessandro Finicelli, general manager of Autobynet, Francesco Naso, general secretary of Motus-E, and Federico Caleno, Enel X head of e-mobility Italy. Sustainable mobility first of all passes through electric cars. Today in Italy they represent 4-5 percent of the market share, but the growth rate is high and Italy is bringing Italy closer to European numbers: in fact, in the last three months, more than 10 per cent of registered cars have been electric and, according to recent surveys, 58 per cent of Italians seem willing to switch to electric mobility in the face of two variables: a reduction in the purchase price and a greater diffusion of charging infrastructures. In reality, in this respect Italy exceeds the European average with 25,300 recharging points currently present (even if only a few high-powered ones). Vehicle connectivity and autonomous driving are also among the next challenges of sustainable mobility. In terms of infrastructure, however, the focus will be on to make the road communicate more and more with vehicles with the aim of reducing traffic, increasing safety and promoting predictive maintenance, in order to avoid tragedies such as that of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa.
The morning ended with Stefania Lazzaroni, general manager of Altagamma, who explained the importance of cultural and creative industries for the future of made in Italy. From automotive to fashion, from design to boating, from food to jewelry to hospitality: "These industries", according to Lazzaroni, "represent the economy of beauty and are the most identifying expression of Italy at an international level". An industry that is worth 7.4 per cent of the Italian GDP, which involves 400 thousand workers and which is the protagonist of constant annual growth of around 5 per cent. All this, according to Lazzaroni, is possible by combining the value of heritage, tradition, with innovation, which passes through e-commerce (which rose from 10 to 24 percent after the pandemic), digital and new technologies. that are permeating the business models of these companies.
Cover photo: Massimo Gaudina, head of the European Commission representation in Milan, Nicoletta Pirozzi, program manager of the EU Institute for International Affairs, Paolo Guerreri, lecturer, Danilo Taino, Corriere della Sera columnist, Enrico Sassoon, director of Harvard Business Review Italy. Verona, 11/19/2021. Ph. Claudio Martinelli / FotoLive
