Overview
- Extraordinary commissioners opened an exclusive negotiation with Flacks Group to acquire the Taranto steelworks, while the investor posted on LinkedIn claiming an agreement with the government.
- Flacks proposes a €1 purchase, up to €5 billion in modernization spending, and a 40% public stake, with details open to revision during the talks.
- The plan cites support for about 8,500 jobs, implying more than 1,200 fewer positions than the roughly 9,741 employees currently in extraordinary administration.
- Trade unions voiced strong concern and demanded a binding state role to safeguard employment, decarbonization and environmental remediation across a supply chain they say involves about 20,000 workers.
- The Taranto prosecutor again denied the request to lift the seizure of Blast Furnace 1, leaving the plant reliant on Furnace 4 and limiting production capacity.