by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: Cristina Amirante, FVG’s regional councilor for Infrastructure and Transport
Italy’s Northeast opened a two-day national forum on logistics on Tuesday, bringing together regional leaders, national ministries and industry operators to discuss strategies for strengthening the area’s transport network and its role in European trade.
The Stati Generali della Logistica del Nord Est, organized by the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional government in partnership with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the regions of Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, as well as the autonomous provinces of Bolzano and Trento, aims to promote coordinated planning in a sector considered vital for the country’s economy.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Cristina Amirante, Friuli Venezia Giulia’s regional councilor for Infrastructure and Transport, emphasized the need for continued investment despite the region’s already robust system.
“One of the challenges before us is the further strengthening of infrastructure that already performs well,” Amirante said. She noted that the regional highway network handles one of the highest traffic volumes in Europe. “We must achieve the same results on rail and make our logistics platform — which includes rail and road networks, ports and interports — increasingly efficient and sustainable,” she added.
The gathering stems from a permanent interregional technical committee created under a March 2023 cooperation agreement signed by the participating regions and the national infrastructure ministry. Its goal is to coordinate policies and promote the Northeast as a unified logistics system.
Amirante, extending greetings on behalf of regional president Massimiliano Fedriga and the full regional government, said the Northeast must continue to serve as an economic engine for Italy. The development of logistics and infrastructure, she stressed, remains central for manufacturing competitiveness, attracting new businesses and supporting the growth of innovative start-ups.
“We are working in close synergy with all stakeholders, with the government and with neighboring regions,” she said. “We consider ourselves part of a larger system, and we are convinced that this team, with its shared vision, can achieve even stronger results.”
During the forum, participants are examining several key areas for the sector’s future, including the IMEC corridor, maritime–rail intermodality, digital infrastructure and the creation of simplified logistics zones. The event concludes Tuesday with a policy roundtable featuring representatives from all participating regions and autonomous provinces.
