This is the English translation of a podcast interview conducted in Italian by radio VENETO24 on Friday July 3, 2026
Riccardo Sandre: The logistics of the future, told by Interporto Padova and Green Logistics Expo. Good morning everyone, I am Riccardo Sandre, back with you for a new episode of “The Logistics of the Future”. We are returning to the topic of the importance of logistics for our country’s economy. We are doing so with a very important guest, Leopoldo Destro, an entrepreneur leading a large company specialized in special rubber electric cables, but more importantly for this occasion, the National Vice President of Confindustria with responsibility for transport, logistics, and the tourism industry.
Let’s take a quick step back in history. According to some researchers, we Italians can claim two very important firsts in this sector: Julius Caesar was the first to establish the figure of the logistician, creating a network of ports and warehouses to supply his legions. Furthermore—though some doubt this reconstruction—the width of modern railway tracks is said to originate from the distance between the wheels of Roman chariots (approximately 1435-1440 mm), still measurable today in the ruts at Pompeii. Since the Roman era, it has been clear that economies and armies cannot go far without logistics. Perhaps this is why Confindustria recently organized the first edition of the States General of Transport and Logistics. Dr. Destro, good morning and thank you for being with us.
Leopoldo Destro: Good morning to you, and thank you for the invitation.
Riccardo Sandre: Let’s start with the States General of Transport and Logistics. Why did the association feel the need to organize this event, and what messages do you want to send to politicians and fellow entrepreneurs?
Leopoldo Destro: The central paradigm we wanted to highlight by bringing all stakeholders together is that logistics is not a cost to be endured, but a value to be governed. This is supported by significant numbers: €205 billion, 9% of the GDP, and 1.4 million employees. Logistics also creates multiplicative value; the World Bank recently noted that countries with the best logistical performance grow by about 1% more in GDP and 2% more in trade. For an export-oriented country like Italy that must also import raw materials, this is a significant figure. Logistics represents growth for the country and its territories.
Riccardo Sandre: It seems transport and infrastructure must be at the center of the political agenda. However, there is a feeling that people are working in silos, forgetting that logistics is a strongly interconnected system. Recent reforms regarding ports and inland ports (interporti) have been criticized; wouldn’t a more systemic vision with a longer time horizon be needed?
Leopoldo Destro: Yes, that was a point touched upon by many stakeholders during the panels. The decisive step for us is translating shared priorities into concrete interventions accompanied by infrastructures evolving toward smarter and more integrated models. Digitalization is central here because it enables interoperability between systems that are currently separate, ensuring the continuous exchange of information to create a single large system.
Riccardo Sandre: Dr. Destro, I must continue on the theme of new technologies, Artificial Intelligence, and the ecological transition. These are opportunities but also challenges for businesses, especially the ecological transition. What is the perspective of Confindustria on these issues?
Leopoldo Destro: A major challenge will be sustainability based on technological neutrality, valuing all solutions capable of reducing emissions and consumption without compromising the competitiveness of businesses. This is why we believe it is fundamental to suspend or heavily reform the ETS (Emission Trading System) in land and maritime transport; we support the transition, but it must be strongly sustainable. Regarding digital, AI must accompany the digital transition, but we must not forget two things: we need adequate infrastructure to support these evolutions, and we need skills. We must strengthen collaborations between companies, the World of ITS (Higher Technical Institutes), and universities.
Riccardo Sandre: There is also the theme of economic and geopolitical turbulence. What are the priorities to focus on regarding projects and investments?
Leopoldo Destro: We identified six main priorities at the States General:
- Closing the infrastructure gap through stable programming and adequate investment.
- Developing intermodality, so that roads, railways, ports, airports, and inland ports function as an integrated system. Currently, 84% of volumes in Italy still travel by road, compared to a European average of 75%. Every kilometer switched to rail saves the community €15.3.
- Accelerating digitalization of infrastructure and services to favor data interoperability.
- Pursuing sustainability based on technological neutrality.
- Investing in new skills.
- Legality in logistics, which is an essential condition for competitiveness. We have already worked on concrete tools like the optional reverse charge and an information dashboard on procurement contracts.
Riccardo Sandre: Thank you to Leopoldo Destro, Vice President of Confindustria, for this interesting conversation. Thanks also to our listeners; we will meet again next Friday.
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