The situation in Italy does not "permit losing time", Premier Giorgia Meloni said in her first address to parliament laying out her five-year agenda and addressing current emergencies like the energy crisis ahead of a confidence vote in the House Tuesday and the Senate Wednesday which will put her government into the fullnesss of its powers.
Saying that she was "emotional due to the solemnity of the
moment," Meloni thanked President Sergio Mattarella, who tapped
her as premier after she led Brothers of Italy (FdI) to a
convincing win for her rightwing coalition in the September 25
general election, for his "precious advice" upon taking office.
"This is a fundamental moment for democracy, thank you," she
told the Lower House where FdI, the League and Forza Italia have
a big majority.
Meloni thanked her rightwing coalition partners for enabling her
to name a government in near-record time.
She said they had led to the formation of a government "in one
of the shortest periods of time in history".
Italy's first woman premier also thanked her predecessor Mario
Draghi for enabling a swift passage of power, even though
"ironically" FdI had been the sole opposition force to him, and
said her most heartfelt thanks were for the Italian people, "the
only sovereign".
She added that she felt on her shoulders "the weight of being
Italy's first female premier".
Meloni went on to say that "some people may not like some of our
proposals, but we will keep our pledges".
Ina dig at some foreign countries who have said they will
remain "vigilant" over the moves of a rightwing government,
Meloni said "those who want to stay vigilant are not respecting
the Italian people".
She said "Italy is part of the West, the cradle of freedom and
democracy".
Meloni aid her government would always put the national interest
first and stressed "we don't want to sabotage the EU but to make
it more effective".
She said "Italy will be inside the EU institutions" and "we will
respect the rules and will help change".
She also thanked the men and women who had given their lives on
international missions saying "the homeland will always be
grateful" to them.
Turning her attention to the energy crisis, Meloni said the sea
had gas deposits "that we must fully exploit".
She said that the government aimed to give a "imposing" support
to the energy sector and help Italians pay their bills, while
some measures would have to be put off.
She said energy burdens should be shared in a "more balanced"
way internationally".
Meloni added that Italy, in particular the south, was "the
paradise of renewable energy sources with its sun, win, the heat
of the Earth, the tides and rivers. A patrimony of green energy
too often blocked by bureaucracy and incomprehensible vetoes.
"In other words, I am convinced that Italy, with a little
courage and practical spirit, can emerge form this crisis
stronger and more autonomous than before".
Meloni added that: Ukraine's freedom "can't be bartered with our
own", that there would be "concrete measures against inflation
in the budget", that the European Central Bank's gamble on rates
was hitting citizens and businesses hard; that investing in
Italy could be a "good deal", and that the EU-funded post-COVID
National Recovery and Resilience Plan was a "great opportunity
which we must exploit to the best".
She said Italy would negotiate "adjustments" to the NRRP to
reflect the energy crisis and would push ahead without waste,
while cutting debt with structural growth.
In other remarks, Meloni said Italy needed a presidential
reform; that "we will give Rome the powers and resources worthy
of a capital"; that "we will press on with differentiated
autonomy; and that "I will not give up on reforms due to
prejudicial opposition".
She also said that the southern question must return to the
centre of public debate.
Meloni voiced condolences for the recent victims of floods in
Marche and said "we will not abandon you".
She also said the digital transition would be accompanied by
"technological sovereignty".
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