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Carfora: “Campania Needs a Regional Strategy Focused on Enterprises, Work and Territory”

27/10/2025

✅ PRESS RELEASE
CAMPANIA: SMALL-SIZED BUSINESSES, INEFFICIENT SERVICES AND GROWING DEPOPULATION
CARFORA (CONFIMI INDUSTRIA CAMPANIA): "A REGIONAL STRATEGY IS NEEDED — ONE THAT PUTS ENTERPRISES, WORK AND TERRITORY AT THE CENTER"


NAPLES — "We have been denouncing for years that the credit crisis does not stem solely from the lack of guarantees, but from the weak profitability of Southern enterprises," declares Luigi Carfora, President of Confimi Industria Campania and of the Suggestioni Campane Promotion Consortium.
Today, that weakness has a precise face: according to the latest ISTAT data, over 94% of companies in Campania are micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees. The average size barely reaches three employees per local unit, reflecting a fragile production system that struggles to generate revenue, profits, stable employment, and export capacity.

"We don't ask for assistance — we demand competitive conditions," reiterates Carfora. "Campania's enterprises cannot remain hostage to obsolete infrastructure, slow authorizations, and inefficient — or in some cases entirely absent — essential services. Bureaucracy remains a daily obstacle, discouraging those who would invest or grow in the region."

DEPOPULATION AND INDUSTRIAL DESERTIFICATION: A REAL THREAT EVEN FOR CITIES

Depopulation no longer concerns only inland areas, but also the main cities of Campania, where an increasing number of families and young people are leaving — not only for study or career reasons, but also due to the lack of services, employment, and quality of life.
"When a business closes or relocates elsewhere," Carfora observes, "we don't just lose jobs — we lose a piece of our community. Industrial desertification becomes social desertification. Reversing this trend must be an absolute priority for the next regional administration."

EXPORT AND INDUSTRIAL POLICIES

On the export front, Campania shows a two-speed dynamic: a handful of large companies drive regional exports, while the vast majority of SMEs remain excluded from international markets.
"Export cannot be an occasional adventure or limited to trade fairs," explains Carfora. "I believe little in fairs and much more in stable commercial relations built over time. We need targeted trade missions, permanent foreign channels, and regional structures dedicated to promoting Made in Italy from Campania on an ongoing basis."

TOURISM, AMERICA'S CUP AND SYSTEMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Carfora also emphasizes the importance of enhancing tourism as an economic driver:
"The America's Cup represents a major opportunity for Campania, but it will generate widespread prosperity only if the regional public institutions adopt a coordinated approach — integrating tourism, culture, craftsmanship, and local industry. Without a shared vision, it risks remaining an isolated event rather than a true growth engine.
It is essential to reflect on the causes of the decline in tourist arrivals in 2025, estimated between 10% and 15% below pre-pandemic levels, and to take concrete action to reverse this trend. Tourism is not just an economic sector, but a generator of both direct and indirect employment — involving hospitality, industry, transport, services, commerce, and craftsmanship. Only with a shared, targeted strategy can the America's Cup become a genuine opportunity for growth for the entire Campania region."

CARFORA'S PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT REGIONAL EXECUTIVE

  1. Efficiency of business services and administrative simplification — creation of a digital one-stop shop, guaranteed timelines for authorizations, and strengthening of digital and logistics infrastructure.

  2. Business scale growth — incentives for aggregation, networks, and mergers among SMEs to enhance competitiveness and international presence.

  3. Structured export strategy — targeted trade missions, stable commercial relations, and technical support for exporting firms.

  4. Protection of "Made in Campania" and fight against counterfeiting — "Carfora emphasizes that the Italian public administration lacks tools to combat counterfeiting occurring entirely abroad. To protect the profitability and authenticity of Campania's brands, it is urgent to strengthen international market oversight and establish legal protection under regional responsibility."

  5. Industrial regeneration and countering depopulation — integrated policies to revive the production system and encourage the return of businesses and families to local territories.

"Campania can no longer afford to merely keep up," concludes Carfora. "We need a regional industrial policy capable of steering economic processes — not simply enduring them.
Only by putting enterprises, work, and the territory at the center can we resume growth and restore confidence to our citizens."

Luigi Carfora
President – Confimi Industria Campania
President – Suggestioni Campane Promotion Consortium

Active Enterprises in Campania

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