Tensions are rising, distances remain, and the majority is seeking a face-to-face meeting between leaders to defuse the mines that lie in the way of the budget. Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini are calling for a summit with Giorgia Meloni, who could bring together her allies as early as the next few hours before flying to Dublin for the informal EU summit. The banks' attack further raises the stakes.
It was just after 9 a.m. when ABI's director general, Marco Elio Rottigni, appeared before the Budget Committees of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate with a €22 billion bill and a serious accusation: the maneuver raised "serious doubts about its constitutionality."
The association highlights the burden of the last three budget laws on institutions, €7 billion in 2027 alone, to the point of calling for a "forced restructuring of state debt" due to the squeeze on Superbonus credit.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance is keeping a tight lid on the purse strings, adhering to the "prudence" advocated by Giancarlo Giorgetti, also to escape the EU's excessive deficit procedure. However, the government will introduce some "minimal corrective measures." And the glimmers of hope for banks—and Ance—concern construction loans.
However, the barrier to the commitment requested from the banks remains unshakeable, so much so that Salvini - declaring himself "surprised" by the bankers' protests - is raising the specter of "a further contribution".
The decision to spread the Superbonus credits over ten years remains a sore point for the ABI. This is a retroactive change with potential repercussions on accounts and investments, the association led by Antonio Patuelli warns, without ruling out an appeal to the Constitutional Court. First, however, dialogue will be attempted: a bilateral meeting with Palazzo Chigi is expected as early as Friday. "That the ABI should complain about having lost money with the Superbonus seems a bit excessive to me," was the far from conciliatory response from FdI's economic director, Marco Osnato.
(Unioneonline)