The very hot front of the renewal of social safety nets. That the sectors most affected by expensive energy are clamoring. The confirmation for manufacturing companies of the incentives of the Transition 4.0 plan. As well as the strategy in the fight against Covid with the virus that could raise its head again in the autumn. And again, the tax reform starting from the pieces that create fewer divisions within the coalition. The solutions of which seem, in part, to diverge also on another issue that held sway during the electoral campaign: the restyling of citizenship income. On which the leader of Fratelli D’Italia, Giorgia Meloni, winner of this electoral round, has very clear ideas and not completely aligned with those of her allies.
Priority dear bills
There are many matches that the new government will have to face. And the priority is still represented by the expensive bills which, as the leader of Fratelli d’Italia has explained several times, “reduces purchasing power and increases production and inflation costs”. On this front, therefore, together with support for work and further aid for families, starting with the strengthening of the single allowance, Meloni, if he is prime minister, will concentrate the first moves. Aware that the outgoing government leaves some matches on the table to be brought quickly to the finish line, starting with the renewal of tax credits for companies, contained in the Aid ter decree, which must also be extended to the last month of the year. And that will be configured as a first test bed to test the ability of the new government majority to react to the energy crisis in progress. Also called to ensure, with particularly tight deadlines due to the time schedule linked to the formation of the new Chambers, the conversion of the same provision. Where further props could be found to lighten the impact of price increases on households and businesses.
I distinguish on the necessary resources
On the need to intervene quickly on this front, Meloni knows he can count on the full support of the allies but is equally aware of the distinctions that exist on how to find the necessary resources. The leader of Fdi in fact considers the use of the budget variance – on which the number one of the League, Matteo Salvini, continues to insist – as the last resort to finance new interventions against expensive bills. Before activating this option, in fact, it is determined to experiment other ways by focusing, for example, on higher tax revenues deriving from inflation – as Draghi has done so far, who bequeathed to it the extra income of September, October and November, – and on the use of part of European funds, as has already happened for Covid, as well as on additional funds deriving from the taxation of the extra profits of energy companies.
Continuity with the Draghi government
In short, the first dossier to deal with is the same one on which the Draghi government measured itself up to the last. With respect to which, the former minister intends to move continuously as regards the solutions to be pursued in Brussels. Where Meloni intends to carry on the double battle conducted so far by the outgoing premier and which involves the identification of a European ceiling on the price of gas and the decouplingie the decoupling of the price of gas from that of energy on wholesale markets.
But persistent resistance from Germany and the Nordic countries made an agreement on the price cap practically impossible. And, also on decoupling, the European Commission, grappling with the development of the package of measures that will be examined by the 27 heads of state and government of the Union gathered next Friday for the extraordinary EU Council on energy, he has already made it clear that he wants to go different paths to try to cool down energy costs.