Rome (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said an EU Commission proposal to exclude defence spending from the EU’s Stability Pact is a first step, but more has to be done.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and visiting Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed after meeting at Palazzo Chigi that they appreciated defence spending being excluded from the Stability Pact and now more efforts were needed to increase the continent’s spending to defend itself.
We must spend more but also implement investments,
the two leaders expressed in a joint statement.
The choice of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to exclude Defense spending from the Stability Pact is the first step and I think other solutions must follow.
Meloni’s finance minister, Giancarlo Giorgetti, has already explained the escape clause as a success for Italy. Because of its high public debt ratio and low economic growth, Italy is behind most European countries in terms of defence spending as a percentage of GDP.
How does Meloni view the EU’s defence spending proposal?
Two weeks ago, Giorgia Meloni’s office welcomed the statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that she desires to trigger an emergency clause to permit governments greater scope for military spending by not measuring the expenditure in budget deficit limits.
The Italian government welcomes with satisfaction the announcement by the President of the European Commission concerning new initiatives aimed at increasing investments in the defence sector, starting – as Italy has been requesting for some time – with the exclusion of such expenditure from the Stability Pact,
Giorgia Meloni’s office stated.
“This is a first, fundamental step in the right direction, which will also have to be followed by the establishment of common financial instruments.
Moreover, it said,
The Italian government is ready to work constructively with the European institutions and with the other member states to achieve these important objectives together, starting with the forthcoming presentation of the EU Defence White Paper.
