Meloni to the EU: derogation from the Energy Pact. Reply: position does not change
The PM: political consistency is needed, otherwise it would be difficult for the government to explain to the public a possible recourse to the Safe programme
The waiving of the Stability Pact applies not only to defence but also to the energy crisis. This is the demand of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed in a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The reply from Brussels, in the immediate future, leaves no room for concessions: the position does not change, no exceptions to the energy spending pact.
"Italia," the premier emphasises, "believes it is necessary to temporarily extend the scope of the 'national escape clause' already provided for defence expenditure to include the investments and extraordinary measures necessary to deal with the energy crisis, without altering the maximum limits of deviation already provided for. In the absence of this necessary political consistency, it would be very difficult for the government to explain to the public any recourse to the Safe programme under the conditions currently envisaged'.
"We are responsible on defence but energy is priority"
'Italia,' Meloni wrote to von der Leyen, 'will continue to do its part to strengthen European security and defence. It is a responsibility we feel deeply, especially in the international context we are living. We will continue to advocate the need for the European Union to invest more in its strategic security and defence capability. But today, in the eyes of Europe's citizens, there is another equally concrete and immediate emergency: the energy emergency'.
In her letter to the President of the European Commission, Meloni calls for the extension of the defence derogation from the Stability Pact to expenditure to tackle the energy crisis. "The crisis in the Middle East and the tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, which add to the effects of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, are already having very heavy and often asymmetrical effects on energy prices, on the costs for families and businesses, on the competitiveness of our production system and on citizens' purchasing power. In Italia and in many European nations there is growing concern that we will have to face a new economic and social shock after the enormous sacrifices made in recent years. This is why I believe that Europe must give a sign of consistency, common sense and closeness to its citizens. If we rightly consider defence a strategic priority such as to justify the activation of the National Escape Clause, then we must have the political courage to recognise that today energy security is also a European strategic priority,' Meloni stressed.
To Meloni's long letter comes a terse reply from Brussels: 'The position of the European Commission has not changed. We have presented member states with a range of options available to them to address the current energy crisis,' EU Commission spokesman Olof Gill. "At the moment we are not including the National Safeguard Clause among these options, because we believe that the range of instruments presented should remain within a framework of fiscally responsible constraints. We will of course observe how the situation develops."
