Unicredit-BancoBpm case, the League relaunches with a bill on the new governance of Bankitalia

Yet another front of friction in the majority is the banks. With Unicredit's operation on BancoBpm triggering a new clash between Lega and Forza Italia. If Matteo Salvini's party appeals to supervision and puts Bankitalia in its sights, filing a bill on governance, Antonio Tajani invites politics to "not meddle" in matters that pertain to the "free market". As for FdI, it is keeping out of the ring with a guarded posture ('these are complex banking dynamics, let's wait and see how they evolve').

On Tuesday morning it was the Lega Nord deputy chairman of the Finance Committee, Alberto Bagnai, who announced the proposed law on the Bank of Italy. The aim: to adapt governance 'to the best European standards' as 'parliamentary involvement is indispensable to avoid a dangerous self-referentiality of supervision'. Salvini considers Unicredit a foreign bank because 'this is what the shareholding composition says. I don't hold it against anyone,' he clarifies, 'as long as the third banking pole that is emerging is not called into question,' that is, the possible aggregation of a new strong banking entity through the synergy between Bpm and Mps. "It is not up to me to intervene politically' on Unicredit's movements and 'politics must not meddle in these affairs'. "We are EU countries, the free market must always be defended and protected," he stresses, "we must check whether everything that is done respects the rules and this is up to the ECB.

Anticipating the party's position in the morning was the president of the deputies Paolo Barelli: 'Bankitalia? These are not operations under its direct control. It is in fact the ECB that supervises'. On the same line is the leader of Noi Moderati, Maurizio Lupi, who basically rejects the possibility - ventilated by Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti - of exercising golden power: 'State intervention would be an anomaly', golden power is 'an instrument to be used only in exceptional cases'. More cautious is the position of Giorgia Meloni's party. 'On the part of the government and Fratelli d'Italia there is the only concern to always protect the savings of Italians and the credit system in the interest of families and businesses'.

The oppositions' statements are also multifaceted. The PD takes issue with Salvini and calls it 'ridiculous' to speak 'as sovereignists' of Unicredit, a bank with its registered office in Milan'. More 'serious' is to question the fact that 'a banking duopoly risks emerging strengthened' from this operation. "The government should not meddle for political reasons in the balance of the Italian banking system," Benedetto Della Vedova points his finger, "and even less should it use, or threaten to use, golden power.