Elsa Fornero visits Sassari for the first time in a university context.

The former Minister of Labour during the Monti government , between 2011 and 2013, presented, in the Department of Economic Sciences, in a meeting promoted by Disea and Edufin, his book, written with Anna Lo Prete, “Knowing the economy to choose better” , Il Mulino editions.

A text that explains fundamental concepts that affect citizens' daily lives, from inflation to interest rates. But the topic she focused on most was pensions, an area on which she proposed a reform law 14 years ago, which drew much criticism, such as raising the retirement age, but which has never been amended in all that time .

"The reform," Fornero explained, "must be seen in the context of a historical financial crisis that, in our country, would have had a devastating impact—not on the banks, as some have said, but on the citizens."

At the time, in fact , the recession was in full swing , having arrived from the United States with the subprime mortgage crisis, with skyrocketing spreads and the government threatening to default on salaries. The dark period passed, but since then the Piedmontese professor, a university lecturer in economics, has been in the eye of the storm, at times violently attacked. Yet the "Provisions on Pension Treatment," as they were then called, are still in force .

«Now, dismantling them, as some suggest, requires a lot of financial resources. Are we capable of doing it? No ». And he adds: «Pensions must be determined by the performance of the economy, given by employment and income. If the former is lacking and the latter are low, no formula invented by politicians is capable of guaranteeing a pension to anyone» .

For years, there have been attempts to reform it. "We've had politicians who promised to repeal not only the reform but also the Fornero law, and they haven't succeeded. Not because I'm good, but because the country would go to pieces the next day if they repealed it."

The retirement problem also affects Sardinia . "Your pensions," he states, "if we were to think about the island itself, are truly at risk. You are one of the longest-lived regions, but if you don't have young people working and paying contributions, how long can this continue? For now, the state is taking care of it with its 'single pension system,' and it must remain that way."

The same ideas were expressed this week in Pattada, during a discussion that lasted over two and a half hours, organized by the Rinascere association. "The meeting was conducted in a civil manner," said one of the organizers, Giovanni Antonio Deiana. The former minister's words aren't always received that way , and she's long needed a bodyguard. However, she doesn't deny the reform. "It was difficult being a minister," Fornero concluded, "but I've always worked for the state, and do you know what the state teaches you? Independence of judgment."

© Riproduzione riservata