Politics runs in the family. Born in Cosenza in 1969, a city led by his brother Mario, mayor for 10 years, Roberto Occhiuto has been the governor of the Calabria Region for almost three years … pardon, president, and since last February he also boasts the stripes of deputy secretary of Forza Italia, one of the parties in the majority of the Meloni government. With a degree in economics and a past in the Christian Democrats, in 2000 he switched to Silvio Berlusconi’s party, of which he was a deputy and group leader in the House.
Today, he administers a region in the South that has reversed course, showing growing signs of entrepreneurial and economic vitality and dynamism.
– Questa intervista fa parte del terzo numero cartaceo de IlNewyorkese: ACQUISTALO QUI
President Roberto Occhiuto, how is Southern Italy doing and how strategic is it for the new geopolitical balances?
The South is growing, and this is also shown by the recent Svimez surveys: it is growing more than the northern regions, more than the national average, but unfortunately it is continuing to lose many young people who go to work in the North but often also abroad. And it is not just pieces of future and hope that are going away, but also a part of GDP that we are losing. The South is also growing because it is Europe’s hub in the Mediterranean, and the Mediterranean is becoming increasingly important in the economy for trade. I see this with the port of Gioia Tauro, which is first in Italy, does 4.2 mln containers a year, and all this can give the southern regions a role they have never had before. I may be a visionary, but I think the South can experience what the regions of the North experienced in previous decades, which benefited from being close to Europe’s engine of development, which was German manufacturing. Today in the European economy, the Mediterranean is very important, and the proximity of the southern regions can be a driver of development.
Let’s talk about exports: how is Calabria’s export doing?
There has been a record increase for us, in the first quarter of this year it was almost +27 percent, but in absolute value it still weighs too little, it is too small in size. However, I must say that there are a lot of Calabrian companies in which the generational transition has introduced elements of innovation, internationalization. For example, there are a lot of wineries that have passed from parent to child, and the new generations have managed to renew these wineries that are now able to export their products, ensuring a much higher quality than in the past, also having the ability to address the issues of logistics related to export in a much more innovative way.
What and where does Calabria export?
There are small companies that export mainly to Europe but there are also many companies that export to the American market, primarily agri-food products. There are countries in North, Central and South America where the presence of Calabrians is very relevant, sometimes they are people who still have a deep-rooted connection with Italy and their region of origin. I recently proposed to Cardinal Rino Fisichella, who is in charge of Jubilee 2025, to connect the activities of this extraordinary event with Calabria. The idea is to have a “little Jubilee of Calabria” next year, that is, to call all second- and third-generation Calabrians, sometimes it’s children and grandchildren who have heard about it but have never seen it, and ask them to come back here, where their origins are, to stay a while. I, of course, would dress up the region and it would be a great opportunity to develop activities related to root tourism.
How are the relations between Calabria and the vast Calabrian community of America and New York?
There are constant relationships but I would like them to evolve to develop economic activities and trade. The limitation of these relationships with compatriots is that they are often built only on the romantic, almost anthropological element, instead there are extraordinary Calabrians who have built many American cities, who have carved out an important space in the economy of their areas and who could be ambassadors of good business opportunities for other American entrepreneurs or Calabrian entrepreneurs who want to invest in the United States.
Is there a success story of a Calabrese in the States that particularly struck you?
Just some time ago I met in my office with Oscar Renda, a Calabrese who lives and works in Dallas and who had been called by Webuild, the company in charge of building the Strait Bridge, because his company manufactures pylons for all the major public works that are being built around the world. He had started many years ago as a bricklayer and now he has become one of the most important contractors in the States in construction and public works. He invited me to Dallas but I haven’t had time to go there yet….
How many times have you been to New York?
I’ve been there several times. When I was 18 I was even a pizza maker in the Big Apple in a chain of pizzerias that no longer exists, Italian Village Pizza, which was owned by some of my American cousins who were born in New York and then moved to Pittsburgh and later to Kentucky. I went back there as vice president of the Regional Council on Columbus Day, and even then I verified how much untapped potential there was in the community of Calabrians and how necessary it was to make this strong bond they have with the region a driver of economic development. Now as president of the region I would like to create the conditions for this to happen
If you had to vote in America who would you choose between Biden and Trump?
I belong to a party that is closer to the Republican tradition but is also moderate, so I would give it some thought.
The article The future of the South and ties with America: interview with Calabrian President Occhiuto comes from TheNewyorker.
