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MARKET THE INTERVIEW
Face to face with Giorgio Squinzi
Mapei President Giorgio Squinzi talked about Italy's construction business and the
flooring market while looking at the results achieved at Expo 2015 its final balance,
the investments he hopes for and the trend in the market GABRIELE MARRAZZINI
GGiioorrggiio SSqquuiinzii W hat did Expo 2015 mean for Italy? President Squinzi, can you tell us how 2015
Which is the path to follow for the went for Mapei and the Italian construc-
relaunching of the Construction sec- tion industry in general?
tor? These are only a few of the topics The building sector is the one that is suffering
broached by Mapei President and Confind- the crisis more than all the others and is the
ustria Employer's Federation President, slowest to recover. As far as Mapei Group is
Giorgio Squinzi, as he outlined the current concerned, sales in the month of September
state of the building market in Italy. Confi- grew by 29.7% in America, 11% in Eastern Eu-
dence in Italy's potential has been confirmed rope, and 9.8% in Asia, whereas in Italy the
by the results of the Universal Expo, which market is practically stationary.
in addition to the number of visitors that ex-
ceeded expectations, proved capable of How is Italy doing compared to other Eu-
showing the international community what ropean nations?
Italy is capable of achieving. On the other The construction business in Italy is decidedly
hand, the state of the building sector in our faring worse than in the rest of Europe: between
nation is certainly not one of the best when March 2014 and February 2015, the sector's pro-
compared to the rest of Europe. President duction in Italy fell by 5.8% over the previous
Squinzi's recipe to resume growth is simple: 12 months. At the same time, the sector grew by
“make investments in virtuous circuits”. 1.6% in Europe, while company activities in the
This means not only investing in energy ef- Eurozone are stable with a 0.4% growth.
ficiency and living comfort, but also in the
safety and care of the territory. The com- In your opinion, which actions must be
mitment to growth, moreover, must cer- pursued at both institutional and private
tainly benefit also from support by the po- level in greater support of the Italian con-
lices of the institutions, which play a key role struction Industry?
in sustaining and relaunching the construc- We need to invest in a virtuous manner: many
tion industry. For example, both the bene- buildings need to be more efficient in various
fits provided for restructuring and the Art ways, such as hospitals or schools, for exam-
Bonus that provides tax credits to anyone ple.We have to orient our investments towards
who sponsors Italy's cultural and artistic energy efficiency, living comfort, and reducing
heritage might have a positive effect next hydro-geological and seismic risks.
year. Once again, a glimmer of hope for
strong economic recovery lies in the ability 2015 was the year of the Expo, in your opin-
and the willingness to introduce virtuous ion, how did the event affect the construc-
networks of growth, in other words, invest- tion business in your opinion?
ments that generate value over the years. Expo did not only provide an opportunity for
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