Meloni at Prime Minister's Office: "We will spend 2% of GDP on defense". Clash with Renzi

After almost a year and a half, Giorgia Meloni returns to the test of the Chamber and the questions of parliamentarians. This time from the senators. And if on January 24, 2024, the Montecitorio arena came alive with the Stellantis dispute, criticism of the renewed Stability Pact and the State of Palestine (for the prime minister, in dissent from the Netanyahu government) now the questions shift to relations with Donald Trump's America, military defense spending and the promised constitutional reforms.

For the Prime Minister, this is the fourth prime ministerial time in the more than 900 days of her executive. And strangely the most "anticipated" having ended up in the games of chance and coincidence of the Vatican, first with the death of Pope Francis and then with the Conclave. Initially, in fact, the question time was scheduled for April 23, but the death of the pontiff, two days earlier, forced the postponement. Set for May 7, it was brought forward from 4:00 pm to 1:30 pm for the live TV broadcast of the Conclave that opens that afternoon.

Nine questions on the table, three minutes for Meloni to illustrate each question, three for the answer and another 2 granted to the author of the question, to reply. Ten ministers sat on the government benches next to Meloni, absent the deputy prime ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini. In front of her a practically full room.

It starts with military spending: the government will reach the goal of military spending at 2% of GDP "both by relaunching the trajectory of strengthening our defense capabilities, and by including in the calculation of relevant expenses those items that are in line with the parameters of the Atlantic Alliance that other nations already consider" , she said in response to the leader of Azione Carlo Calenda. Meloni underlined that these are expenses "that fall within the broadened multidimensional approach to defense that is typical of both the NATO strategic concept and the EU white paper. Therefore - she continued - it is a path consistent with Italy's international commitments but also with the position that the current government majority has enshrined in the program with which it presented itself to the Italians. Because without defense there is no security and without security there is no freedom".

"Italy and Europe - she continued - must strengthen their defensive capabilities to respond to the responsibilities they are called to also in the NATO context: I reiterate this here with the coherence of someone who as a patriot has always supported a simple principle, that is, that freedom has a price and if you make someone else pay for your safety, you are not the one who fully decides your destiny and there is no possibility even of fully defending one's national interests ". The Prime Minister also recalled the "need to always build a European pillar of NATO capable of encouraging a solid European base".

So the reform of the premiership that "is moving forward, I continue to consider it the mother of all reforms and, it does not depend on me but on Parliament, but the majority is intent on proceeding quickly on this reform exactly as it is intent on proceeding quickly on the reform of justice".

There was no shortage of a tough exchange with Matteo Renzi: the senator of Italia Viva, on behalf of his group, asked a question on several points, from the position on the internationalization of the government, to the promised constitutional reforms to the system of preferences, and concluded that the prime minister has changed her mind on almost all of them, calling her a "champion of inconsistency". Meloni took the floor in a sarcastic tone: "Honestly, I missed the question", she began, saying that she had "inherited a slightly compromised little situation".

Finally, a jab at the former prime minister on resigning in the event of a referendum defeat: "I would even gladly do it - Meloni emphasized - but I would never do anything that she has already done". In the two-minute reply, Renzi joked: "We have noticed that she is not doing the same things that I have done", citing for example the Industry 4.0 plan. His words were interrupted by the shouting of the majority senators, including someone who shouted at him. "Stop playing politics", which required the intervention of President Ignazio La Russa to silence him. Renzi concluded by accusing the prime minister of having changed her mind also with respect to Russia. "Between her and Putin, I am a true patriot".

(Online Union)