A misunderstanding or a ‘slap’ to Giuseppe Conte? The Pnrr algorithm brought up by Paolo Gentiloni still animates the chatter of the Dem ranks. Not that this is of particular concern: the predominant interpretation is that it was a question of words from the sen escaped, thanks to an interview given about a month ago to Paolo Valentino for a book published in recent days. The Commissioner for European Economic Affairs did not imagine, the reasoning goes, that the interview would be relaunched with this fanfare three weeks before the European vote. However, among the Dems there are also those who offer a different reading: that is, that it was a way to hit Conte and take on the role of anti-Schlein within the party, prematurely abandoning that of federator of the center-left who a party member would have liked to sew on him. A reconstruction that, however, does not convince the parliamentarians of the Dem minority themselves. For two reasons: the first is that Schlein, according to the polls circulating within the Democratic Party, should not be at risk after the European elections. Twenty percent, the minimum buoyancy threshold of the Nazarene’s boat, is widely given as within the reach. Indeed, there are those who go so far as to cite figures approaching 25 percent, especially in the case of strong abstention. The second reason is that there is, at the moment, no organized front for the succession. Indeed, the latest interviews given by Stefano Bonaccini, it is noted, are characterized by a spirit of great collaboration. The exponents of the PD minority also recognize the fact that the compass of internal pluralism was followed in the composition of the lists, even if there is no shortage of grumbling over the return of issues considered divided such as that of the Jobs Act, on which the Pd minority would have preferred it to be postponed. Therefore, the predominant reading is that of a ‘slip’ on Gentiloni’s part.
The commissioner, a few hours after the publication of the interview, returned to his words, reshaping the tone of some press headlines: “It is very true that the Italian government has made a fundamental contribution to the fact that the Next Generation EU was achieved”, says Gentiloni, recalling that in the European Commission there was “a fierce negotiation, which lasted months”, before a “very long meeting” between European leaders “in which the former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte certainly played an important role, as well as the current mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri”. And it is precisely the mayor of Rome who returns to the matter by claiming that, in order to bring the 209 billion from the Recovery Fund to Italy, “there was an initial negotiation” in which it was discussed “whether to create the Pnrr. And at the At first only Italy was asking for it. Then there was a letter promoted by Italy and other countries and we spent the night at Ecofin to insert a line on the Pnrr to obtain it given that the majority of EU countries were against it”. Once it was decided to implement the instrument, a second negotiation concerned the amount of resources: “Merkel and Macron’s idea was 500 billion, ours and Spain’s was more than 700 billion and our position passed “, Gualtieri still remembers. It is at this point that the algorithm comes into play which, based on the characteristics of the individual countries, allocated the resources. A reconstruction that coincides with that of another minister of that government, the dem Enzo Amendola. The former Minister of European Affairs of the Giallorossi government remarks how “once again in Italy we are looking at the finger”, the way in which those funds were divided, “instead of looking at the moon”, or the fact that for the first time broke a taboo: “Finance national spending with bonds issued at European level”. The counterattack started yesterday by the M5s, however, does not stop. “In these hours we are witnessing an incredible display of politicians with pret a porter opinions, who today echo Gentiloni’s unfortunate declarations on Conte’s role in obtaining the Pnrr for our country”, says Francesco Silvestri, group leader in the Chamber of Five stars. “Those who remember will remember Gentiloni himself who then complimented the Italian government for ‘moving well’; Calenda who at the time said ‘congratulations Conte’ or even Matteo Renzi who recognized the role of the then Prime Minister with an ‘and ‘He was good’. Today, however, close to the European elections, these political figures are ringing completely different bells to try to deceive the citizens and get a few more votes”, concludes Silvestri.