The interview is taken from 24news media Italy, about the female political guru, the present, and the first woman prime minister( Giorgia Meloni) who was liberated from the power of the Italian male government.
Let’s start from the essentials: why should Italians vote for Fratelli d’Italia?
Fratelli d’Italia represents the only real alternative to the governments we have seen in the last 10 years, supported by majorities born in the laboratory and which have not been able to improve the general condition of Italians. All macroeconomic indicators demonstrate the failure of these years of strong instability, with Italy systematically lagging behind in Europe in terms of growth and employment. We want to give Italy a stable government that is able to free the productive forces, give back a perspective to young people, concretely help those who create wealth and jobs in Italy.
You have said on several occasions that you are ready to take on the burden and honour of leading the next Government. Inflation, war, rising yields on government bonds, just to mention the main elements of a deteriorating picture: are you scared?
Undoubtedly, the situation is really very complicated. The pandemic and russian aggression against Ukraine have further complicated an already difficult situation. We are aware that we could get on a battered ship that points straight towards the storm, but if the Italians call us to the helm we will not back down. Italy has inexhaustible resources, it is able to face and win every challenge.
Why is it against deviation?
First of all, deviation is not a taboo and, if it were to serve to protect businesses and families, we will use this possibility. Before resorting to it, however, I believe there are other possible ways, with resources that can come for example from the increased tax revenues deriving from inflation and the use of part of european funds, as already happened for Covid. I believe it is a responsible attitude, before burdening our children with additional public debt and turning on Italy the headlights of the European Commission, the markets, rating agencies and speculators, we must evaluate the possible alternatives.
On Ukraine, on sanctions on Russia, on the sending of weapons to Kiev, she had clear positions that even Mario Draghi recognized. Will it be possible to govern – and how – with Salvini who every day says that sanctions are harmful and Berlusconi who has an intermediate position?
The centre-right has always voted unanimously to support Kiev, these are the facts. We have written it clearly and unequivocally about the common program, while in the so-called broad field of the left there are political forces that want to explicitly question the commitments made with our Western allies. Enrico Letta’s Democratic Party would form a government with Conte’s M5S and Fratoianni’s left, that is, with those who have the most ambiguous positions on Ukraine.
If you will be at Palazzo Chigi, how will you support businesses and families to cope with the expensive bills? Will rationing be required?
The only concrete way forward is to set a European ceiling on the price of gas and to decouple the price of energy produced from gas from that produced from other sources. I consider the silence of Letta and the left on European timidity on these issues to be very serious. But if the opposition of the German and Dutch socialist governments continues, then decoupling will have to be done at the national level. With this measure we could immediately reduce the bills by 40% with a low cost for the state coffers. With regard to rationing, let us first think about reducing energy waste in the public machine and in local authorities*.
The first commitment of the new government will be the budget law. Does it tell us three priorities?
Supporting work, families and expensive bills. Work, intervening with a cut in the tax wedge in favor of companies and workers, in order to lighten the tax burden that weighs on the former and increase the net remuneration of the latter. And with a super deduction of labor costs for new hires compared to previous years. The family, raising the maximum amount of the single allowance to 300 euros for the first year of life and 260 euros for the following years. And the expensive bills, which reduces purchasing power and increases production costs and inflation, intervening, as mentioned, on decoupling.
Salvini wants to introduce quota 41, Berlusconi proposes to increase the minimum and in the meantime the current pensions eroded by inflation must be revalued. What is its line?
In a nutshell: greater flexibility in exit for women and men, social pension for sixty-year-olds without income, stop the automatic adjustment of the retirement age to life expectancy, minimum contribution elimination for artisans and traders. Above all, elimination of injustices for those who will retire with the contributory system, starting from the failure to adapt to the minimum and the elimination of the rule that allows you to receive the pension only if the expected allowance exceeds the social pension by 1.5 times.
When and how will the flat tax that unites the League and Forza Italia be made, albeit with different methods and measures?
The entire center-right agrees on the extension of the flat tax to the self-employed up to 100 thousand euros in turnover and on the introduction of the 15% flat tax on incremental income compared to previous years. Let’s start from there to evaluate the possibility of extending the measure.
The latest figures confirm a significant contraction in employment. Is there a way, today, to encourage it?
The road passes through the reduction of the tax burden on labor. The main proposals of FdI are: a cut in the tax wedge of 5 percentage points, two thirds on the worker side and a third on the company side, in line with the confindustria proposal; an intervention that rewards labor-intensive companies and, right from the start, the companies that hire the most, according to the principle “who hires the most pays”, providing for a super deduction of labor costs at 120%, which can be raised to 150% for fragile workers, for employment increases.
You have already said that you want to revise the PNRR. What do you want to change and why? Aren’t you afraid that stopping the machine now will jeopardize compliance with the deadlines for implementation?
The resources of the PNRR must be spent well and on schedule, bridging the delays currently accumulated. However, we cannot fail to take into account the fact that the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis exploded after the approval of the PNRR. We will therefore propose to the Commission specific and punctual changes within the limits of art. 21 of the regulation to allocate more resources to energy supply and security, free Italy and Europe from dependence on Russian gas, and take into account the generalized increase in prices. All things of common sense that any government should be in office in the coming months will do.
Speaking of PNRR, will you implement the bathing regulation as it is written and agreed with the EU?
Regardless of the PNRR, the rule on bathing concessions can be changed without breaking the commitments made with Europe, because the Bolkestein Directive provides that concessions must be auctioned only if there is “scarcity of the good”. Before making the races, it is necessary to make a mapping of the km of coastline already subject to concession. Our 30,000 beach companies have made investments trusting in the extension until 2033 established by law, now they cannot be deprived of everything overnight.
What do you think of Differentiated Autonomy? The governors of the League have been waiting for it for a long time.
Autonomy has not been achieved in all these years certainly not because of the Brothers of Italy who were in opposition, but because those in government had other priorities. We have always been in favour of a well-established autonomy, combining national unity and virtuous federalism, in full compliance with the provisions of the Constitution.
In recent days he has relaunched the proposal for constitutional reform on presidentialism: do you think that beyond the numbers you will have in Parliament it is still necessary to involve the opposition?
La riforma del presidenzialismo è la prima riforma economica di cui ha bisogno l’Italia. Governi stabili danno credibilità e rassicurano gli investitori. In Italia negli ultimi 20 anni abbiamo avuto 11 diversi Governi e questo ha sensibilmente frenato la crescita, rispetto a Nazioni politicamente più stabili come Francia e Germania. Ciò premesso, abbiamo sempre detto che avremmo coinvolto tutti nelle riforme, anche con una bicamerale se può essere utile. Ma non ci faremo paralizzare da un eventuale rifiuto della sinistra a confrontarsi in parlamentare.
She could be the first female prime minister and leader of the first party in Italy. Among the great European countries to lead the way was Margaret Thatcher, then Angela Merkel: it seems that climbing power is easier for women on the right, why do you think? How many ministers will there be in your government?
Many women leaders are conservative and right-wing because it is in the tradition of the right that merit is recognized. When merit is placed at the center, all discrimination falls, those of the social class such as those that have so far penalized women. That’s why I find it natural that women have a better chance of emerging on the right than on the left.
