(by Massimiliano D'Elia) Telt (Tunnel Euralpin Lyon Turin) ¸ is a transalpine company owned 50% by the French State and 50% by the Italian State Railways, through Rfi. On Monday at 11.00 in Rome the Italian Board of Directors will meet by teleconference with that of Paris to kick off the publication of the 2,3 billion calls. Publication that would like to avoid the pentastellato leader Luigi Di Maio because it would decree another failure. Di Maio wants to keep the line of coherence and evokes the government contract where it is written to fully re-evaluate the Tav project. Di Maio hopes in the bank offered by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte who apparently is defining, in these hours, the letter he will send to Telt. Even though Italy has already signed four agreements on the Tav with France, all ratified by Parliament, from which binding international obligations derive.
Two hypotheses are being examined by Palazzo Chigi: Postpone the calls for six months to review the project with the French (Brussels has already put itself in the wrong way to this option), or ask Telt to rewrite the calls, inserting a clause that makes them more bound by government decisions. Some sources say this second option would be what Telt expects from the Italian government. In fact it is a more stringent revision of the standard already provided for by the French procurement code. The so-called fade clause"The first six months from the publication of the announcements are those of the expression of interest and the companies' self-nominations are collected. At the end of the six months, before the assignment of the tender specifications, a new green light from the governments will be required, otherwise the assignment will not proceed".
In the meantime the internal political question requires further reflection. At Di Maio's invitation to Salvini to stay in Rome to discuss the Tav, Salvini replied that he is busy elsewhere until next Thursday. Clear demonstration of the firm line of the League leader on the Tav. However, a meeting could take place in Milan on Sunday because Di Maio will be at the Rousseau village of Casaleggio.
Di Maio during yesterday's press conference he avoided talking about blocking tenders. He stressed the fact that we are talking about a work for which you cannot tie the money of the Italians.
Salvini in the evening he softened the tones: "No government crisis and no nostalgia for the past, we work to unite and to give work, development and future to Italy. With common sense everything is solved".
Also the Deputy Minister of Transport Edward Rixi said: "There may be deadlines for reaching an agreement. The work can be fully re-negotiated as foreseen by the majority motion, but it is still necessary not to interrupt the issuing of notices at this stage. You would lose 300 million now, then another 6oo".
The situation will remain fluid until next week. The important aspect is that, apparently, everyone would be converging on a SI at work with feasible "corrections" to give the M5S a political chance.