Sui costruttori la scure degli extra-costi

The construction industry is facing significant challenges due to rising costs, according to Edoardo Ronzoni, the sole administrator of a Brianzola company. He explains that all expenses are escalating, and liquidity is lacking, indicating the need to halt some projects. Roberto Davoli, a Cmb president, confirms that a 60-million Euro arrears have accumulated, with outstanding payments due until the end of 2024 and the entire year of 2025. This situation causes a near two-year gap in income payments.

The construction sector is experiencing a surge in energy and material costs, making it difficult to recognize increases requested by public authorities. This issue has persisted in previous years and intensified in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine, but it is now exacerbated by the new upward trend in prices triggered by the Hormuz crisis.

According to Ance, an association of construction companies, a total of 3.8 billion Euros is needed to cover arrears from completed works in the 2024-25 biennium, in addition to 1.8 billion Euros estimated for the current year.

The government's resources allocated so far are insufficient, and the Ministry of Infrastructure highlights a current deficit of 1.45 billion Euros, with only a quarter of the required amount available. Construction companies are seeking legal advice to request financial burdens connected to the delays, as these amounts are not insignificant. However, for 2026, the problems are expected to worsen, as a new law states that appraising stations must find funds for additional costs.

Despite Anas, the association of construction companies, receiving about 25 million Euros in arrears from one of its companies, other appraising stations have not been paying. The request to the public sector is for the payment of arrears and the establishment of supplementary funds. Edoardo Ronzoni stresses that businesses often finance part of the completed works, making it crucial for the government to provide the necessary funds, especially considering the difficulties in budgeting for businesses under these circumstances.

The Ministry's new mechanism for calculating costs, based on Istat indices, will be applied to all appraising stations from April 27. This change aims to more accurately track real cost progress on construction sites. However, the vice-president of Ance Lombardia, Paolo Riva, points out that these indices do not immediately reflect market fluctuations.

For example, bitumen prices have increased by over 30% in a few months, and the mechanism, which limits additional payments to 90% of the 3% increase, leaves appraising stations with inadequate resources. As a result, many companies are resorting to legal action to ensure they are fairly compensated for the rising costs they are experiencing.