What's behind Mayor Bitetti's resignation? The former ILVA steelworks are back in the spotlight.

Mayor Bitetti 's resignation has shaken Taranto's political landscape, leaving the city without leadership at a critical time. At the center of the controversy, once again, is the former ILVA steelworks—a symbol of broken promises, unresolved conflicts, and cross-party pressure. But what does the former steelworks really have to do with the mayor's resignation?

A tense debate over the future of the former ILVA plant leads to the resignation of Mayor Bitetti.

Taranto's mayor, Piero Bitetti, unexpectedly resigned at the end of a public meeting he himself convened to discuss the program agreement for the former ILVA steelworks . The initiative, conceived ahead of Wednesday's city council meeting and an important government summit the following day , escalated into heated protests from civic committees and environmental groups.

At the center of the criticism is the still-coal-fired steel plant, the largest of its kind in Europe, and the solutions proposed by institutions for its decarbonization . The committees denounce the lack of real guarantees for citizens' health and question the excessive emphasis placed on production continuity at the expense of environmental protection. The city council, which was supposed to approve the draft agreement before the ministerial signature, now risks being postponed, along with the Rome summit, barring a possible change of heart by the mayor.

What's behind Mayor Bitetti's resignation? The former ILVA steelworks are back in the spotlight.

The program agreement is a crucial step not only for the steelworks' green conversion , but also for its future sale , after more than a year of extraordinary administration following the bankruptcy of the ArcelorMittal group. Currently, the plant produces less than a third of the minimum required to ensure its economic sustainability. A ministry technical committee has outlined two scenarios: the first, more ambitious, involves the adoption of electric furnaces , gas-fired Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), and CO₂ capture systems, but would require a gas supply that is incompatible with the current infrastructure. The second, less complex, forgoes DRI, but would entail job cuts and increased reliance on external suppliers .

The Municipality of Taranto proposed a third, more gradual approach, which would not require regasification plants or immediate modifications to the gas pipelines. However, the proposals were rejected by the committees , which are calling for the permanent closure of the blast furnaces , environmental cleanups, and a conversion based on green hydrogen, considered the only truly sustainable option.