Is it acceptable that a multinational fossil company can influence the leadership of the country?
The parallel state that takes away our future
We fight so that the heads of the Italian multinationals answer for their actions in solidarity with the search for justice of the many communities impacted by their actions. We work to curb the power of these companies and their influence in the apparatus of States and so that when they commit crimes in Italy or abroad they are sanctioned.
We want to put a stop to public subsidies that support convicted companies that continue with impunity to commit human rights violations and devastate the environment and climate. Public resources are not infinite, and it is unacceptable that they benefit multinational corporations with numerous private investors, while their actions fuel climate change, endangering the safety and health of millions of people.
The hypocritical “Italy-System”
Defended and hailed by many, the so-called “Italian System” is based on an assumption – never democratically discussed and not proven by the facts – that the good of corporate “Italian champions”, first and foremost Eni, coincides with the interests of Italians. But is it really so?
Italy’s largest fossil fuel multinational is an iconic case for us. Eni is almost one third owned by the State. Its influence on the governance of the country is immense and at times deeply hidden, as demonstrated by a secret protocol between the company and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (link). It is the subject of numerous judicial investigations that revolve around corruption and malfeasance. Its “greenwashing” is omnipresent, thanks to its huge investments in advertising.
In our opinion, changing Eni is impossible.
Eni
Eni is the biggest Italian fossil company and one of the main European oil majors. The Italian government pockets lavish dividends without ever asking the company for change. Eni’s decarbonization plan to 2050 will lead to a greater use of fossil gas whose development today generates devastating impacts on local communities in countries such as Mozambique. Eni wants to continue exploiting oil until 2035, in Basilicata, where it is on trial for environmental disaster, as well as in the Niger Delta where for decades local populations have been demanding justice for the environmental and social damage suffered from oil extraction. The six-legged dog (as it is known in Italy, thanks to its logo) is increasingly offsetting its emissions with technologically questionable projects to capture emissions and use forests as “carbon sinks”: both “solutions” have heavy impacts on local communities. Eni dominates every energy, climate and foreign policy choice in our country and remains the main obstacle to a genuine ecological transition in Italy.
What we want:
Large energy companies should not have access to decision-making processes on climate, energy
and foreign policy.
It is urgent to regulate conflicts of interest in companies and the civil service.
Convicted companies must not benefit from public funds.
Only by taking away the control of resources from multinational energy and infrastructure
corporations in favour of local communities social movements will be able to pursue a fairer
model of development capable of shaping the future of their territories.
