The Italian government has approved the application submitted by entrepreneur Fiorenzo Sartor to place the insolvent company Vinyls Italia (Porto Marghera / Italy) in extraordinary administration – see Plasteurope.com of 26.05.2009. The administration team appointed by the insolvency court in Venice comprises two lawyers and a chemicals specialist – George Simeon, Mauro Pizzigati and Franco Appeddu, a former director of Ineos in Porto Torres / Italy. They are expected to place the operations on a sounder footing and then look for a buyer.

At around the same time, Eni presented a basic plan for the Italian chemical industry in a further round of talks with the Economic Development Ministry. The proposals include investment of EUR 700m up to 2012. Eni, which is majority-owned by the Italian state, also confirmed plans to withdraw from chlorine production at its subsidiary Syndial. Negotiations have been held from time to time in the past few years on selling Syndial to Ineos Vinyls but no agreement was ever reached.