Milan, October 29 (askanews) – Roberta Marcenaro Lyon, entrepreneur and founder of The House, a platform created to connect Italian and American industry, is looking at the midterm elections with pragmatism. For her, the election results matter less than the underlying effects on economic cooperation between the two countries. "We can expect anything, but," she says, "I think the worst thing could be some sort of stalemate.
So this is also tied to a possible impeachment vote. We shouldn't care much whether the House turns red or blue. I'm always for industry, for industrial plans, those that must extend over ten, twenty, thirty years, so politics is truly transitory, and as important as the relationship is, as important as the friendship between Italy and the United States is, I believe we need to stay focused on the strategies for progress towards a future of legacy and longevity for Italian industry." In Washington, DC, Marcenaro heads IMARK, a company she founded in 2008 to support Italian and European companies interested in investing in the US.
At the heart of his argument are tariffs, perceived as a concrete pressure on businesses. "The sentiment is very focused on tariff policy," he adds, "I believe that ideological politics are there, and in my opinion, they should count less and less. Tariffs are absolutely a tool, impacting company margins, so that's where the entrepreneur is truly affected.
This week I was in Texas, and the pre-voting was already underway, with those holding blue and red flags. Everything is focused on creating a sense of belonging among the citizenry, among those who live in a reality more or less close to Washington. I believe today that we need tools that are truly close to Italian industry, which can then connect with politics, institutions, diplomacy, and even the intelligence linked to science. The solution is "industrial joint venture agreements, strategic partnerships for a close America and Italy." Marcenaro identifies technology as the great watershed of the next decade, with America in a dominant position and Europe at risk of being left far behind. "America will grow by 4,4%, followed by India. Europe is unfortunately out, and Italy follows suit: it will be a beautiful museum where we will all come increasingly. We have seen the excellent tourism data, but unfortunately we are out of this game. We, as human beings, will live in a momentous historical moment, an acceleration that will, as we know, also have negative impacts on blue-collar workers and mediocre human resources. Therefore, robotics will truly arrive, a sophistication of superintelligence that will revolutionize the markets. America is leading the way in this regard, so where should Italy play its card? It must play on everything that is related to the supply chain, on everything that is the capacity of the great Italian ingenuity to create products, not so much on the end products, but on that vivacity, I repeat, of solutions that only the Italian is capable of providing". The answer, for Marcenaro, is also The House: an operational tool that unites defense, aerospace, energy, infrastructure, life sciences and education. With headquarters in Washington, a few steps from the White House, and itinerant activities in Milan, the platform aims to build lasting partnerships and intercept industrial opportunities that Italy, otherwise, risks losing. Interview by Cristina Giuliano Editing by Gualtiero Benatelli Images askanews (in studio), archive
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