Italy is worried. Giorgia Meloni met with the president of the republic Sergio Mattarella and according to the press the main topic of their discussion was the course of implementation of the prerequisites for the financing of the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

As the newspaper Corriere della Sera points out, not everything is going smoothly. According to the newspaper, by the end of 2022 Italy has managed to take advantage of a total of 191 billion euros provided by the Plan only 23 billion. In the construction sector, the implementation of the plan did not exceed 10%.

At the same time, there is another, immediate problem: the installment of the first half of 2023 amounting to 16 billion euros. Reforms are not progressing at the necessary pace, especially in the area of ​​justice and strengthening competition.

Seeking the leniency of Brussels

The Meloni government is actually afraid that the message can be sent that – compared to the work of Mario Draghi- it is unable to proceed with the implementation of what was agreed with Brussels. Because there are also problems with regard to the operating licenses of the infrastructure in the ports, the modernization of the stadiums (which Italy would like to complete with European funds) and the district heating networks. The Commission requested changes and decisive interventions, which should be clearly completed by the end of April.

According to the newspaper La Repubblica, at this stage the Italian Prime Minister wants to secure the help of President Mattarella. Obviously with the aim of a less “strict” attitude of Brussels, but an even more constructive relationship with Emmanuel Macron.

Many members of Rome’s conservative alliance fear that if the problems surrounding the Recovery Plan pile up, the whole climate – from the mood of citizens to the attitude of businesses – could change noticeably. And the first “bells” they have already started to hit, with the ruling alliance’s share of the vote intention gallop falling.