“If there are no margins” for negotiation with the European Commission to remove the obligation to accept Pos under 60 euros, “we will invent another way to not make merchants pay bank commissions on small payments”. The Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, answered the reporters’ questions, at the end of the Christmas concert in the Senate, confirming the government’s about-face but also defending her first moves at the helm of the executive. “The maneuver never has easy approval: we are all doing our job – underlined the premier -, but I think we did our best, in the conditions and within the times they had, to give parliament the possibility of having the times to evaluate it”.
Meloni then recalled that «the government that was not born in October but in February presented the maneuver on November 20th. We were also very willing to evaluate the merits of the individual proposals that arrived. And if there are good ones, no problem to deepen them. If, on the other hand, the approach is prejudicial, the government must be the government and the opposition the opposition”. According to majority sources, the two solutions that the government is thinking about on the Pos issue would be to cancel the rule inserted in the maneuver or lower the threshold from 60 to 30 euros, beyond which fines are triggered for merchants who do not accept electronic payments .
Maneuver, race against time. Minimums at 600 euros for the over 75s, elimination of fines, aid for those who buy green homes and extension of the Superbonus
Luca Monticelli
Already yesterday the tenant of Palazzo Chigi, at the party in Rome for the 10th anniversary of FdI, had defended the budget law, migrants and the rave decree. «I am very satisfied with the maneuver carried out in practically 10 days – declared the Prime Minister -. Others would have postponed political choices, while we have presented a political manoeuvre, respecting many of the commitments made”. In addition to the Pos, other discussions are reportedly underway between the parties and the government on other chapters of the budget law, in an attempt to get out of the impasse registered in the last few hours and to shorten the times. Among these, it is reported, there are also the changes to the measures for the Women’s Option, which could be approved with a reformulation of the government to an amendment by the Democratic Party.
Meloni defends the maneuver and challenges the CGIL and Confindustria: “The government will amaze like FdI”
Antonio Bravetti
Even if the works of the commission proceed in fits and starts (since 10 this morning they have already been interrupted twice for as many meetings of the bureau) the agreement between the groups remains standing in Montecitorio to close the works of the commission at midnight on tomorrow with the mandate for the rapporteur, at the end of a rush to examine the government amendments, the rapporteurs and the sub-amendments, which must be presented by 12 tomorrow morning. The hypothesis is that of starting the general discussion in the Chamber on Wednesday morning, to leave the whole day of Tuesday at the disposal of the offices of the Chamber to prepare the file. However, the conference of group leaders, already convened for 1 pm tomorrow, will have to pronounce on this point.