“The Pnrr decree contains measures that concern the governance structure of the Pnrr and these aspects are effectively linked to the Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan but there are other aspects that are not covered and have no connection with the Pnrr, such as example this law on abortion”. This was stated by the spokesperson of the European Commission for Economic Affairs, Veerle Nuyts, in the daily press briefing responding to the ongoing debate on abortion in Italy.
A position expressed by the European official which has sparked a controversy in Italy over the use of European funds by the government.
Magi (+Europa), political use of funds
“The European Commission is completely right: the use of the government’s PNRR funds to introduce pro-life associations into clinics has nothing to do with the reforms of the recovery and resilience plan and the use that the government is making of these resources is totally political. An offense to women, to freedoms, to dignity and a real approximate and improper use of PNRR funds. More than the government of the patriots, it is the government of the Italiots”. This was stated by the secretary of +Europa, Riccardo Magi.
M5S, funds for ideological propaganda
“The European Union also criticized the Meloni government for its attempt to slip into the folds of the Pnrr decree the rule to allow pro-life associations to enter counseling centers when the woman chooses to terminate her pregnancy. The Commission underlined that the decree of the executive branch also contains aspects that ‘have no connection with the Pnrr, such as the law on abortion'”. The parliamentarians of the 5 Star Movement of the Social Affairs commissions of the Chamber and Senate wrote this in a joint note.
“It is truly shameful that the government uses the European funds allocated for the relaunch of the country after the pandemic to make ideological propaganda and to trample on the rights, freedom of choice and self-determination of women. If they had really wanted to resolve the problems – and there are many – affecting Italian consultants, the colleagues of the majority could have read and adopted our bill presented to the Chamber, which proposes to provide these structures with resources and qualified and structured personnel to truly guarantee full compliance of the 194. But evidently this right is only interested in making retrograde propaganda, at the expense of women and their rights”, they conclude.