Yes to the bill decree and the new Procurement Code. Skip the competition bill

The predictions were (almost) all respected. The government in yesterday’s CDM approved the new bill decree, the reform of the procurement code and a bill dedicated to synthetic foods, the production and trade of which will now be prohibited under penalty of a fine of up to 60 thousand euros. Only the competition bill is missing: according to some sources, it would have been the regulation on street vendors that blew up the text, which should have extended some concessions and at the same time reviewed and balanced the tendering procedure.

Bill decree

As expected, the funding has been revised downwards, with a cut that brings spending to 4.9 billion. They suffer the consequences the system charges on electricity which will now be restored. As for the gas, they were both the 5 percent VAT reduction and the zeroing of system charges have been extended, together with the social bonus for households with an ISEE of less than 15 thousand euros.

Again in line with forecasts, the government has introduced a new contribution for families without income limits, whose criteria will be established respecting the different climatic zones in which the country is divided. For businesses, the 40 percent tax credits have been extended until June 30.

Reform of the Procurement Code

The reform of the Procurement Code – which in the intentions of the government should reduce the implementation times of the Pnrr – will formally enter into force on April 1st, but “will take effect” only from July 1st. The goal of the reform is one simplification of bureaucratic procedures for public works which, according to the Minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini, should “save from six months to a year” in the timing of the tender. Without going into details, the meaning of the reform is in fact to lighten the regulatory burden – 36 annexes against the 104 rules now replaced – to speed up the assignment times of a work and therefore its design and construction. For example, by raising the threshold for direct assignments to 500 thousand euros or by creating the so-called “integrated contract”, which allows the design and execution of the works to be assigned to the same operator. Or again, the government has removed the use constraint for major works over 100 million euros. However, the shortcuts identified have already been strongly criticized not only by the trade unions, but also by the Anti-Corruption Department. According to Only 24 hourswith the new rules, 98 percent of public works risk ending up without a tender.

The text approved by the government also contains a rule called “Italy First” which, by setting premiums that have not yet been established, should “protect Italian and European supplies from unfair competition from third countries”.

Stop synthetic food

As already announced by the Minister for Food Sovereignty Francesco Lollobrigida, the government has banned the production and trade of synthetic foods, with a fine that can reach up to 60,000 euros. “There is a risk of social injustice with synthetic food, in a society where the rich eat well and the poor don’t”, said the minister during the press conference at the end of the CDM. Motivating the rule in order to “protect public health”.