centre-right government today when they do

Center-right meeting between Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini and Silvio Berlusconi to untie the knots of the formation of the new government.

The leaders met during a meeting in Berlusconi’s private residence in Villa San Martino di Arcore (Monza and Brianza) on the next institutional deadlines. But above all, as it is easy to imagine, the leaders of the center-right coalition (winner of the September 25 elections) spoke of the need for a strong government capable of responding to the country’s emergencies, starting with urgency due to power costs.

Giorgia Meloni. Photo Ansa / Ettore Ferrari

In a memo, the centre-right states that the political forces that make up the coalition have made “important steps forward in this direction” and that it is common to want to “move as quickly as possible on the path of forming of the executive.” After the summit, sources from the Northern League specify that “the League is clear on its government team and is ready, at the highest level. The priorities of Matteo Salvini’s party are the defense of wages, pensions and the work of Italians, starting with a decree to stop the bill which, given the European delays, can no longer be postponed”.

Confindustria forecasts

The centre-right summit comes on the day that Confindustria chief executive Francesca Mariotti presents the autumn economic forecast. We are facing a “complex economic scenario, a bit dark and heavy”, explains Mariotti. “We are at the gates of the installation of a new government which will have to face a real national emergency. It’s not just about business and industry anymore, it’s about everyone”. So the head of Confindustria warns: “Interventions by swabs will not be enough. And that’s not even possible anymore. We are not sure of the timing: how long will it last? Certainly not little. We cannot afford a haemorrhage of public resources”.

The villa of Arcore where the summit of the Centre-right took place. Photo Ansa / Stefania Blasioli

“The energy shock is bringing down growth prospects” warns the Confindustria Center for Studies, which sees GDP in 2022 at +3.4% but in 2023 at zero growth. Forecasts which, inevitably, the center-right of the government will have to take into account. “Italy is falling into stagnation” and with “record inflation”. Italian GDP “after a positive dynamic in the first half of 2022 undergoes a downward adjustment between the end of the year and the beginning of 2023, then recovers slowly. Growth in 2022 (+ 3.4%) is already at appointment and is much higher than what was expected six months ago. For 2023, however, “in the analysis of the economists of via dell’Astronomia” there is a strong downward revision compared to the scenario d April (-1.6 points).”

Centre-right themes

At the rendezvous with the autumn economic forecasts, the study center headed by Alessandro Fontana figures the increase in costs for companies linked to the shock in energy prices at 110 billion. An impact that rises to 9.8% of total costs: “Unsustainable levels”. As for the dynamics of employment, we expect that “after a decline in the summer, it will become negative between autumn and winter” while “a recovery in the labor market is expected next year”. So many questions that the government center will soon have the task of dealing with.

From left to right, Silvio Berlusconi, Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini. Photo Twitter @ZenatiDavide