(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 28 - The European Union has acknowledged
the Italian government's commitment to modernising Italy,
Premier Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday after the European
Commission gave the green light to the fourth tranche of payment
for Italy's revised post-Covid National Recovery and Resilience
Plan (NRRP) on Tuesday.
"The Commission's positive assessment demonstrates the great
progress made by Italy and, just a few days after its approval
of the general revision of the NRRP, confirms the great
commitment of the government to fully implementing the plan to
make the country more modern and more competitive," said Meloni
in a social media video.
On Tuesday the European executive approved Rome's request for a
further 16.5 billion euros in subsidies and low interest loans
under the NextGenerationEU programme established by the European
Union to help member states recover from the Covid-19 pandemic,
with resources to be deployed in the period 2021-2026 period.
"The Commission today approved Italy's fourth payment request,
for 16.5 billion euro, confirming that Italy has met all 28
objectives and targets set," said Meloni.
"The payment is expected by the end of this year, when Italy
will have received about 102 billion euro, so more than half of
the NRRP," she added.
"Italy will also be the only EU Member State to have received
the payment of the fourth installment," concluded the premier.
Meanwhile sources said the government is drafting an
implementing decree for Italy's revised plan now worth 194.4
billion euro, which was signed off by Brussels on Friday.
The modified NRRP now covers 66 reforms - seven more than the
original plan - 150 investments and 145 new or modified
measures, including the interventions set out under the new
REPowerEU chapter to reduce dependency on Russian fossil fuels.
The implementing decree is to include a provision on the
time-frame in order to hold all implementing bodies to account
in the event that they fail to meet the deadlines, the sources
added.
Separately on Tuesday Meloni told labour unions summoned to
Palazzo Chigi to discuss the 2024 budget that the government is
doing everything possible to ensure that the revised European
Stability and Growth Pact under negotiation in Brussels is
sustainable and oriented towards growth.
"It would be nice to be able to make the cut in the tax wedge
structural," said Meloni of the reduction in income tax for low
wage earners contained in the budget bill currently before
parliament.
"However, it is difficult in this precise context when we still
do not know the budget rules for the coming years," she added.
"I think it can be acknowledged that the government is trying
hard to reach a new Stability and Growth Pact that is
sustainable and oriented more towards growth than stability,"
said the premier.
The European Union is in the process of thrashing out the new
fiscal rules to be applied across all member states.
Italy has been dragging its heels amid concerns that the
budgetary policy set out in the Pact is too strict and does not
allow sufficient room for structural investments and growth.
(ANSA).