Rome, 27 May (LaPresse) – "My concern is not simply the price at the pump, of diesel or petrol. The problem is that if, in the near future, there is a shortage of certain semi-finished chemical or petrochemical products that are essential to industrial cycles, it will be industrial processes and certain industrial sectors that risk coming to a standstill; then it will indeed become a serious economic problem. And so we believe that, without making drastic changes, the current rules and the current limits – including the quantitative limits already in place to some extent for defence spending – can be extended to cover the repercussions on public finances arising from the Middle East crisis, precisely because we consider energy to be a matter of national security." This was stated by the Minister for the Economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti, at the Lega conference in the Chamber of Deputies. ‘This does not, so to speak, affect the figures because if the ceiling was one and a half per cent of GDP for defence, it remains one and a half per cent of GDP for defence plus energy, and each country will then likely tailor its measures according to its specific situation,’ he explained. ‘The discussion is ongoing; it is not easy. We have no problem stating the reality for what it is, and so, as we believe we are in the right, we are pressing ahead. I hope that shortly a counter-proposal – the minister emphasised – a response from the European Commission will arrive on this matter, because all the elements are in place to provide a response to the problems facing the real economy.’
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