The government denies agreements with ‘SpaceX’. The opposition attacks: Meloni clarifies in Parliament

“The Presidency of the Council denies that contracts have been signed or agreements have been concluded between the Italian Government and the SpaceX company for the use of the Starlink satellite communications system. The discussions with SpaceX are part of the normal discussions that the state apparatus has with the companies in this case with those that deal with secure connections for encrypted data communication needs. The Presidency of the Council itself denies even more categorically, considering it simply ridiculous, the news that the issue of SpaceX was discussed during the meeting with the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump”. This is stated in a note from Palazzo Chigi.

Bloomberg had written, citing sources close to the dossier, that Italy was in advanced negotiations with SpaceX for an agreement to supply secure telecommunications to the national government, destined to become the largest project of this type in Europe. According to Bloomberg, Italy is negotiating a 1.5 billion euro agreement to provide the country with a full range of high-level encryption services for telephone communications and government Internet use.

Elon Musk’s response on X also arrived during the day: “Ready to provide Italy with the most secure and advanced connectivity!”. It is a comment on the post ‘Vademecum in the days of misery for non-partisan journalists’ published by his contact in Italy, Andrea Stroppa, where information on the security of the Starlink system is given.

The reactions

• Elly Schlein, segretaria Pd: “Don’t think you can get by with a few lines entrusted to friendly press agencies and newspapers. Giorgia Meloni and her government should immediately report to Parliament on the negotiations with Musk. If 1.5 billion of Italian money to bring the satellites of the American billionaire in our country it is the price we have to pay for his friendship, we don’t fit in, Italy doesn’t sell out.”
• Matteo Renzi, Italia viva: “Bloomberg releases the scoop: the Italian government is ready to pay 1.5 billion dollars to Elon Musk’s companies for projects related to security and technology. It’s impossible. I understand that it’s January 6th, I understand that Meloni is now rooting for Trump, I understand that Musk is a genius (dangerous but genius). I understand. But I remember that in Italy there are still laws and that no one has abolished Parliament. The government cannot give a billion and a half to a private individual without tender or public evidence I’m waiting there denial from Palazzo Chigi in the next few minutes. If it doesn’t arrive we will formally ask that Giorgia Meloni come to Parliament to report on this agreement which, as described, violates Italian laws. Musk wants to invest in Italy. If Musk wants the money of Italian taxpayers , Meloni has to explain why, how and when. It seems like the minimum, right?

• Maurizio Lupi, We Moderates: “The opposition should be based on reality, not on fantasy. Having no news, they invent it. The sight of an opposition that invents a phantom government agreement with Elon Musk’s company and which, in the face of a dry and categorical denial with an official note from Palazzo Chigi, which goes so far as to use the term ‘ridiculous’ for the pseudo-news, the Italians are desperately trying to insist one election after another: an opposition so it’s not credible.”