HACKERS AND TAXES THREATEN SMEs, MORANDO: "WE WILL OVERCOME THIS TOO."

"Tariffs, war, high energy prices, and now even hackers. Everything seems to be conspiring against the productivity of Italian small and medium-sized businesses. But resilient Italian entrepreneurs will weather this wave and will be able to respond." This was stated by Franco Morando, general manager and owner of Montalbera, the family estate in Castagnole Monferrato, on the sidelines of the final day of the 35th edition of the Merano WineFestival in Merano.

"We didn't have any shortage of tariffs, war, high energy prices, and all the other problems we face," Morando says. "Now there's also the cyber threat. The National Cybersecurity Agency has been saying it for some time: SMEs are the most exposed link, because they have fewer resources to defend themselves, but they are part of the country's strategic production chains. And ransomware, that virus that blocks computers and company systems and demands a ransom to unlock them, hits them the hardest. In short, everything seems to be conspiring against productivity," he continues, "but resilient Italian entrepreneurs will weather this wave and know how to respond."

According to Morando, the risks for SMEs today are twofold, as they simultaneously impact markets and production costs. On one side is wine, a sector that thrives on exports and is penalized by US tariffs and the squeeze on international consumption. On the other is pet food, burdened by high energy costs, rising raw material prices, and fragile supply chains. In both cases, Morando explains, SMEs are the most exposed because they don't have the broad backing of multinationals: they can't absorb a 15% tariff, they can't pass on the cost of energy without losing customers, and they can't invest in cybersecurity like large corporations. Yet they are the backbone of the country's production: they represent over 95% of active businesses, employ the majority of workers, and keep regions, supply chains, and Made in Italy products afloat.

"If they stop," Morando concludes, "the country stops. That's why they need to be protected not with promises, but with lower costs, less bureaucracy, and concrete tools to defend against tariffs, energy costs, and cyber attacks."