Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended her government’s economic record during Premier’s Question Time in the Senate on Wednesday, blaming Italy’s rising public debt on the costly Superbonus scheme introduced by a previous administration.
Meloni said the government would “take no lectures” from the opposition over debt levels, arguing that the state’s finances had been heavily burdened by the green home improvement incentive.
“I always encounter a certain contradiction in the accusations against this government,” she told senators.
“We are accused on the one hand of implementing austerity measures and on the other reprimanded for the rising debt-to-GDP ratio, but the debt is growing only thanks to the Superbonus, €174 billion, which we will finish paying in 2027 when our mandate ends.”
The Prime Minister was responding to a question from Stefano Patuanelli of the opposition Five Star Movement regarding government measures to promote economic growth and industrial competitiveness.
The Superbonus scheme, introduced during previous governments, allowed homeowners to claim tax credits worth up to 110% of the cost of energy-efficiency and renovation works. While supporters argued it boosted the construction sector and improved housing stock, critics said the programme spiralled out of control and placed a major strain on public finances.
Squandering resources
Meloni accused former governments of “squandering resources” for electoral purposes.
“We have had colleagues who squandered resources by mortgaging the next five years because they knew they shouldn’t have taken responsibility for those choices, and then they lecture us,” she said. “I think they lecture us excessively.”
The Prime Minister also claimed Italy could have exited the European Union’s infringement procedure over excessive deficits had it not been for the financial impact of the scheme.
“We could have even got out of the infringement procedure if we hadn’t had to deal with hundreds of billions of euros wasted on uncontrolled electoral measures,” Meloni said.
