(Bloomberg) -- The Italian government is willing to work with Stellantis NV as the carmaker charts a new course as long as it keeps jobs and factories in the country, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
“We evaluate the economic cases on their own merits,” Meloni said at the convention of her Brothers of Italy party in Rome on Sunday. “This is as true for Stellantis as it is for any other company operating in Italy. If the approach is constructive, if there is a willingness to maintain factories and jobs, we will be ready to do our part.”
Relations between Stellantis and Italy’s right-wing government are improving following months of clashes between Rome and former Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares, who the Fiat and Alfa Romeo maker ousted earlier this month. The sides are in talks to safeguard the group’s roughly 40,000 jobs in Italy as Chairman and interim CEO John Elkann seeks a new path forward for the struggling company, Bloomberg reported last week.
Industry minister Adolfo Urso is scheduled to meet Stellantis representatives on Dec. 17 for the first time since Tavares’s exit.
As part of those efforts, Italy’s government is likely to announce additional incentives for the industry, people familiar with the matter have said. For its part, Stellantis — which is suffering from overcapacity in Europe — is expected to make commitments on production of future new models at its Italian plants, a key step also for local suppliers, the people said.
Stellantis executive Jean-Philippe Imparato, who oversees the carmaker’s enlarged Europe region, said the company won’t close any plants and will present a “concrete” plan for each site when it meets with the government.
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