Draft Budget Bill: Crosetto calls for more defence resources for staff without increasing the budget allocation

The allocation will be carried out through the parliamentary process

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Defence funding in the 2027 Budget Bill “must necessarily be allocated to personnel” and must exceed current projections, whilst “the precise allocation” will be determined during the parliamentary approval process. This was stated by the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, in a post on X, clarifying the matter regarding the resources allocated by the Budget Law to defence activities. The minister did, however, clarify that the amount allocated to personnel must be “in part higher than that envisaged, but without any increase in resources or appropriations compared with the budget bill submitted”.

As regards the breakdown, Crosetto pointed out that the provisions relating to the FESI (Fund for the Efficiency of Institutional Services), on dedicated pension schemes, overtime and the pay of volunteers in their initial period of service “had been submitted to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to be included in the original text or discussed as they were relevant during the drafting of the bill”, even though it was subsequently decided to defer the allocation to the parliamentary stage.

"The allocation," the minister concluded, "will be in line with the Government’s commitments made in connection with the recent agreement with the signatory trade unions and APCSM, whilst maintaining the existing priorities."

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