At the end of tense internal discussions, Giuseppe Conte’s government announced on the evening of 27 September that it had reached an agreement on the measures to be included in the 2019 budget. The League and Five Star Movement, the populist parties forming the government, have imposed their priorities, particular the latter party. These include rolling back the Fornero pension reforms, relaxing the regime, increasing the level of minimum pensions and introducing a so-called citizenship income. These measures could cost as much as 17 billion euros, which to the dismay of financial markets and Brussels will take the country’s budget deficit to 2.4% of GDP.
In a terse statement, the Council of Ministers highlights the introduction of a “citizenship income”, along with the “reform and strengthening of employment agencies” and the introduction of “citizenship pensions”, in other words an increase to minimum pension payments. The statement also mentioned the introduction of measures to allow for early retirement, in order to foster the recruitment of young people, rolling back the Fornero reform. The 2019 budget also includes a tax cut for small...
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