A strong restart after a subdued summer
After a quiet and subdued August in political terms, the restart has been marked by a significant sprint. Just before the beginning of September, journalists breathed a sigh of relief with the arrival of the first major news: the Sangiuliano-Boccia affair culminated in the resignation of Minister Sangiuliano. He is succeeded at the Ministry of Culture by Alessandro Giuli, who leaves the presidency of the MAXXI Foundation. For the Meloni government, this represents the first real challenge since the beginning of the legislature, and the outcome of this affair has led to the first government reshuffle. At Palazzo Chigi, they hope it will be the last!
On the European front, the most important news is the nomination of Fitto as the government’s candidate for the role of European Commissioner. The focus now is on the specific position: Prime Minister Meloni is pushing for the vice-presidency of the Commission. While it seems almost certain in Brussels that the candidate from Palazzo Chigi is in the lead for this role (and with a significant economic portfolio), not everyone in the European Parliament is pleased with the idea. The first to protest were the Liberals, one of the groups that form part of the majority supporting Ursula von der Leyen. They appear unwilling to accept the choice of the Fratelli d’Italia representative, who sits with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in Strasbourg and is, at least on paper, in opposition.
Another pillar of the resumption of work is the budget law, the fundamental deadline that characterises, as usual, the final quarter of the year. From the first guidelines expressed by Meloni, the direction is clear: “The season of money thrown out the window and bonuses”, she warned, “is over and will not return as long as we are in government”. The majority summit that took place in early September set the political stakes within which the legislation will move, which this year will have to comply even more closely with the constraints dictated by the new EU stability pact rules. The first milestone will be 20 September, when Italy will have to present its medium-term structural budget plan to Brussels, which will have to include reforms and investments in order to come back from excessive deficit within seven years.
Absent from the joint post-summit statement by the leaders was the issue of pensions, on which the majority parties remain divided—between Quota 41, supported by the Lega, and the increase of minimum pensions, pushed by Forza Italia. A thorny issue is funding: Giorgetti expects €2 billion from the spending review and €1 billion from tax expenditures, while more time will be needed to assess the outcome of the biennial tax agreement for self-employed workers. “The season of money thrown out the window and bonuses is over and will not return as long as we are in government,” concluded Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
