Meloni refuses partial payment of the third installment of the Pnrr

To get out of the stalemate that has been going on since February and speed up the payments of almost all of the funds of the third installment of 19 billion, in recent weeks the Commission has proposed to Italy to proceed with a partial payment. The government refused so as not to jeopardize his reputation

Brussels. The novel of third installment of the Pnrr is enriched with a new chapter: to get out of the stalemate that has been going on since February, in recent weeks the Commission allegedly proposed to Italy to proceed with a partial paymentbut the government of Giorgia Meloni would have refused so as not to jeopardize his reputation. The informal offer of the Commission to reduce the amount of the payment of the third installment and the refusal of the government were confirmed in the Sheet by sources in Brussels and Rome. In the eyes of the Community executive, this compromise would have made it possible to accelerate the payments of almost all funds of the third installment of 19 billion of the Pnrr, suspending a minimal part. But the Italian government preferred to decline for “reputational” reasons, explains a source. On the external front, by accepting a partial payment, Italy would send a signal of difficulty to partners and markets regarding its ability to achieve the objectives of the Pnrr. On the internal front, Meloni would risk finding himself in great embarrassment, given that the 19 billion are the first payment request presented by his government. Last December, by formally submitting the request for payment of the third installment, the Meloni government had ensured that all 55 goals and objectives for the second half of 2022 had been “achieved”. In theory, the green light should have arrived at the end of February. Since then, despite the Commission’s reassurances on constructive dialogue and the optimistic declarations of ministers Giancarlo Giorgetti and Raffaele Fitto on a quick go-ahead, the payment has still been blocked.