Giorgia Meloni thinks of a “surprise” for the Europeans (such as the 80 euros from the Renzi government) – Corriere.it

In view of the Europeans next year Meloni wants to “copy” the scheme used by Renzi in 2014, when the then leader of the Democratic Party with the decree on eighty euros got 40% of the votes. For some months a team set up by the premier has been working on the creation of a “flagship project” capable of impacting public opinion and favoring full voting in FdI.
It is no coincidence that in the meetings of the task force “Renzi’s eighty euros” were mentioned, who ten years ago – who had just arrived at Palazzo Chigi – obtained a plebiscite at the European elections (also) thanks to thatpayroll increase.

Let me be clear, the attempt to follow the plan does not mean that Meloni intends to propose it again. For sure the operation is in progress and the Def paradoxically reveals it. The Economic and Financial Document just presented by the government is in fact too thin, too shallow to be realistic. Of course, there is no money in the state coffers, we need to reassure the financial markets, protect ourselves from the spread, keep in line with the Brussels rules: however the “story” of what they want to do is so devoid of appeal as to have made the Democratic Party suspicious.

The thesis accredited in the executive is that Meloni holds a “hole card”. And the assessments of the opposition party are correct, if it is true that the Def – as told by an authoritative government source – was “further watered down when it was launched”. The game of the premier will be clearer when will you know the Update note, the key step that precedes every Finance Act. “If things go well,” the deputy minister of the economy confided Leo to a representative of the majority — we will be able to surprise the Italians pat the end of the yearor”. That is, precisely in the period in which the consensus machine for the Europeans will start.

Anticipating the move would not be technically possible, since the picture of the accounts today is not clear. And above all it would not be politically expedient. First of all because between now and 2024 there are no relevant electoral tests. Then why the opposition at the moment it does not represent a threat to the government. And finally because – by revealing the card now – FdI would expose itself to attacks by opponents (and allies), depriving itself of the surprise factor and burning the announcement effect close to the vote.

It is not known what Meloni’s “eighty euros” are, if it is just one objective or if – according to what transpires – they are «more than one, coordinated with each other». But it is clear that the prime minister cannot stop at cutting the tax wedge, although the last tranche of three billion – which is added to the previous five – “is worth double, given that it will be spread over a six-month period”, as they are keen to underline exponents of FdI: “So already now we are more or less at the same levels as the Renzi decree”.

In any case, Palazzo Chigi is not enough: the ambition is greater. The point is where the resources will be fetched. The money is in the Pnrr and in the cohesion funds, which together are worth around 280 billion euros. So we go back to the sentence with which the minister Dense he described the situation as soon as he began to deal with the dossier: «Italy risks suffocating in debt while sitting on a pile of money.” Because the problem for the government is how to spend this amount. And how to avoid coming in a year skewered by opponents (in Italy and in Europe) during the electoral campaign: accused of not having known how to use resources and for having “failed to achieve the goal”. Other than “copying” Renzi: it would be a very hard blow for Meloni’s design (in Italy and in Europe).

The premier’s operation is subject to the ability to open those two safes. A first lock pick was used at EU summit in Februarywhen — by accepting Berlin’s request to have one more flexibility on state aid — Meloni had a major inserted in the final document of the European Council flexibility on the use of funds: that is, the Pnrr and the Cohesion Funds.

The work on the “hole card” is therefore parallel to the negotiation on the Resilience Plan and on the rest of the European funding. The premier has no other way to implement her project: the target – explains a minister – «it is being able to demonstrate that the things said in the electoral campaign are done».