Manoeuvre, from international missions to disasters: state funding becomes structural

International missions, civil service, national emergencies. And also caregivers, strikes, marebonus and ferrobonus. These are just some of the current and capital expenditure items in the Budget Bill to be refinanced that the government has decided for the first time to make structural. Altogether, the refinancings for the next five years are worth more than 25 billion and of these almost 19.5 billion concern spending programmes that have been made permanent.

The lion's share, also in light of geopolitical tensions, is reserved for international missions with a commitment for the next five years of 7.550 billion lire. From Europe to Asia and Africa, Italy is committed with peacekeeping contingents and support to populations affected by wars and disasters. Suffice it to say that the Armed Forces alone deploy 11,166 units annually in the operational theatres to carry out the missions extended to 2024, with an average of 7,632 units. In Europe, we are engaged in the Balkans, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in peacekeeping operations in Cyprus, or on guard duty in the Mediterranean. In addition to those in Asia and at the heart of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, with the Unifil mission in Lebanon and the Palestinian security forces, the fight against the Daesh terrorist threat, just to mention the hottest ones. The objective of the budget law drafted by the Mef and the Ragioneria in strict compliance with the new rules imposed by Brussels on expenditure control is to define the State's financial commitment to international missions. As mentioned, this is 7.550 billion over the five-year period with 1.270 billion for next year, which will become 1.570 billion in structural terms.

An act almost due in light also of the latest disasters that are striking the country in repetition is the refinancing of more than one billion for national emergencies over the next five years to become structural. In 2025, the allocation is 450 million, which becomes 150 million from 2026 onwards.

Among the other expenditure items that are permanently refinanced are civil service and caregivers. For the civil service, the commitment over the five-year period is 700 million euros, with the first two years receiving 100 million a year, which then becomes 200 million from 2027, while for caregivers the financial commitment over the five years is 72.250 million with 15 million for 2025, which drops to 13.750 million to 'run', which in legal terms should be read as 'forever'.