Government, delays in the road map. At risk two installments of the Pnrr

The disbursement of the 2022 funds is still at a standstill, worries about the 2023 expenditure: the great run-up to not lose the Pnrr funds ended up on the table of the meeting between the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Paul Gentiloni and the minister Raffaele Fitto. The situation does not authorize the members of the Meloni government to smile, who at the time of taking office had pointed the finger at the delays of the previous management entrusted to Mario Draghi.

But today the situation is alarming: Gentiloni and Fitto, we learn from a note from Palazzo Chigi, “have carried out an examination of the objectives regarding which discussions are still underway between the government and the services of the Commission”. In essence, the executive declared that the 55 objectives set for the end of 2022 had been achieved, but the Brussels technicians signaled that not all cards are in place. It is not known, exactly, how many chapters are still to be justified. According to the Openpolis foundation, there would be 13, among which three concern national cybersecurity. “It’s a somewhat delicate topic, clearly it’s non-public news, which we don’t publish on institutional websites”, he says Bruno Frattasi, director general of the cybersecurity agency. Other accredited sources speak of five objectives still under the lens of the EU. And there would also be port concessions. Certainly, Brussels has given Italy an extra month of time – until March 31st – to comply: there are 19 billion euros up for grabs, or the third tranche of Pnrr funds.

In the meantime, there are delays on the intermediate deadline of the fourth installment, which expires in June and which is instead worth 16 billion. Of the 13 targets expected by the end of March, only 5 would have been achieved, according to an elaboration by Il Sole 24 Ore: the new procurement code is among the main nodes. The reform should be approved on Tuesday in the cabinet but the government is asking the European Union to accept a postponement of its entry into force, from the second half of this year to 2024.

A part of the complex negotiation that Fitto and the premier Giorgia Meloni, are leading to Brussels. “Work is underway,” the European affairs minister said late. The government is asking for greater flexibility in Brussels. And it also tries to include the projects of the Repower EU in the program, initiatives for energy diversification for now outside the Pnrr which would replace some objectives deemed unachievable (due to the increase in the cost of raw materials, for example) and would allow for easier use of resources.

The all-round negotiation also continues on the issue of seaside resorts, to be resolved in order to obtain greater benevolence from Europe: Brussels is asking for tenders to be held for the commission, the government has prepared a dossier which sees the first point beach mapping. But it still remains to be understood who to entrust this monitoring to, while the Court of Justice of Luxembourg will soon rule on the question (for the second time). However, the executive is at a crossroads: it must decide whether to aim for the start of the tenders with “stakeholders” (the prevailing thesis) to safeguard those who have made investments in the past (one of the vehicles in that case could also be the competition bill which will arrive in the Council of Ministers on Tuesday) or whether to ask Europe for more time for mapping. R the government must also decide whether to choose the “double track” line, or consider the entry into force of the Bolkenstein directive as a watershed, or find another solution that meets Brussels’ requests. The negotiations continue, and Italy’s credibility depends on it. On the Pnrr Meloni the face is played.