Milan, 4 June (LaPresse) – The flexibility granted to Italy by the European Union is hailed as ‘a success’ as it ‘will provide greater room for manoeuvre in dealing with the energy price crisis caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz’. This was stated by the Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani, in an interview with “La Stampa”. The sum in question is €14 billion, to be spent over two or three years, on investments in renewable energy, which the Commission – Tajani emphasises – ‘confirms is a strategic objective for all member states’. And in this way, he adds, “we free up other resources that we can redirect towards urgent expenditure to cut bills for businesses and households”. “It is a success for the Italian government, which was able to present the request correctly and worked on negotiations to convince others of the merit and reasonableness of the Italian request. “I have always maintained that exceeding the budget independently would have damaged us in the eyes of the markets. And that a solution therefore had to be found with the EU,” Tajani emphasises again. “And Europe has provided a swift response that disproves those who continue to believe that Brussels does not respond to problems raised by Member States. If you have credible proposals and the ability to negotiate, the EU listens. Over the years, our government has strengthened Italy’s credibility and ability to comply with European procedures and thus to make its voice heard,” he adds, noting that “this flexibility will allow the government to potentially redirect resources from other budget lines to where they are needed.”
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