Alto Garda Industry Faces Challenges Despite Strong Local Economy

In vain to deny that in the rich Alto Garda, jewel of the already affluent Trentino, life is good. But while this fact is acknowledged by the industrials of C9, who gathered in a recent assembly, the situation on the working front appears to be much less idyllic for them.

“It’s not a mere complaint for its own sake,” they clarify, “but rather a reasoning supported by countless examples demonstrating how excess bureaucracy, unresolved infrastructural issues for years, and a deficit of skilled labor severely limit the development potential of the area, hindering and sometimes demotivating the entrepreneurial class, which should instead be cultivated and valued as a community treasure, not only in economic terms.”

With Assindustria president, Enrico Zobele, internal relations vice president Gianfranco Pedri, economic relations vice president (and local industrialist) Alessandro Fedrigoni, and director Fabio Ramus, the C9 entrepreneurs discussed analyzing both the negative and positive aspects of the local reality.

This in-depth analysis revealed a generally positive outlook, with a note—unsurprising—of concern: “The overall climate experienced by the industry,” said Zobele, “is generally good, as are the forecasts for the current year. The major problem, however, is politics, which often seems incapable of resolving the unresolved issues on the table.”

Therefore, it is necessary to continue along the path of greater collaboration between public and private sectors. A concept reiterated by all speakers: according to Pedri, the public administration should not be an adversary, but a valuable ally with which to maintain constant relations.

Relations that, in Alto Garda and Ledro, entrepreneurs have already begun to establish—in the case of Gts, Garda Trentino Sviluppo, it is a clear example—and which represent the future of local industry and economy.

Industry that is more present here than elsewhere, not only in terms of numbers but also qualitatively: 50 companies of C9 affiliated with Assindustria—with a total of 4,000 employees—in sectors such as construction, mechanics, chemical-textile, paper mills, or freight transport, serving as true drivers “for the development of the area and the creation of an important supply chain within other sectors of the local economy.”

“Here, more than elsewhere in Trentino,” Zobele explained, “and perhaps even in Italy, industry and tourism have found a way to coexist positively.” These words received the approval of the provincial assessor for industry and tourism, Marco Benedetti, who assured the province’s commitment to solving structural problems and outlined policy directions and future regulatory interventions.