De Rosa: «The European Green Deal is no longer sustainable»

The postponement of sanctions for car and van emissions decided by the European Parliament does not represent a real solution, but rather an attempt to stem an increasingly evident crisis. For the knight Domenico De Rosa, CEO of Smet, this decision is « a timid admission of reality » , a simple postponement that does not address the roots of the problem.

" This is not a strategy, but a tactical surrender ," says Cavaliere De Rosa, underlining how the European Union, faced with an ecological transition that seems to have been imposed more for ideological reasons than for a far-sighted strategic vision, has " finally glimpsed , albeit belatedly, the abyss ."

For the knight, this abyss is made up of an empty internal market, a struggling automotive industry, stagnant demand and extra-European competition that moves unscrupulously, free from constraints equivalent to those in Europe.

Cavaliere Domenico De Rosa is very clear when he states that " the European Green Deal, as it is structured, is no longer sustainable ."

Although the intentions behind the emissions measures are laudable, the CEO of Smet believes that the European approach has neglected the crucial aspect of industrial policy. " The car, which historically is a symbol of mobility, progress and productive freedom, has become a scapegoat for environmental anxiety ," explains Cavaliere De Rosa. "In the meantime, Europe has become increasingly dependent on technologies, components and raw materials controlled by external actors, such as China and the United States, which do not impose the same constraints ."

In this scenario, the suspension of fines appears as a palliative. "It is a temporary measure that does not solve the heart of the problem ," says De Rosa, who emphasizes that a structural review of the entire European regulatory system is needed. " We need an energy transition that takes into account production cycles, market needs and the innovation capacity of companies ," he adds. For Cavaliere Domenico De Rosa, sustainability cannot be seen as an obstacle to growth: " It must be the result of a technological evolution that is competitive, accessible and supported by institutions, not strangled by them ."

The entrepreneur also refers to a famous warning by Schumpeter: " Innovation is destructive only if it is not offered stable ground to take root ." Today, according to the knight De Rosa, the European ground is anything but stable, undermined by regulatory uncertainties, geopolitical tensions and a society that is struggling to keep pace with change.

" Europe has no more time to waste ," he warns, "Industry has already lost too much ." The knight calls for a change of direction: " Either the Green Deal is rewritten in a pragmatic, calibrated and sustainable way also from an economic point of view, or Europe risks becoming "green" only by absence: absence of factories, jobs, research and competitiveness ." And he concludes: " In that case, emissions will fall, but it will only be because industry will have stopped ."