Premier Giuseppe Conte on Monday
answered a question on the possibility of a government crisis
sparked by the centrist Italia Viva (IV) party by saying "we are
working to build" and a crisis was the last thing Italy needed
in the middle of the COVID emergency.
IV leader and ex-premier Matteo Renzi has been chiding Conte for
weeks over the government's Recovery Plan to use over 200
billion euros of EU grants and loans to recover from the COVID
crisis.
Conte said Monday a cabinet meeting Tuesday evening would be
called on to approve the latest version of the Plan, which he
hopes will persuade Renzi to drop his threat to bring down the
government over the alleged misuse of the funds.
"We are working to build, the moment is so difficult that we
must do our utmost to offer responses to the citizens," said
Conte.
He said "we must run" on the Recovery Plan.
Conte added that an upsurge in COVID cases was on the way.
"It's not easy, and tough sacrifices will still be needed," said
the premier.
Earlier Renzi warned Conte against trying to end tension within
the coalition supporting his government via a showdown in a
parliamentary vote.
Renzi has repeatedly threatened to pull IV party out of the
governing alliance due to disagreements about how the executive
intends to spend the 209 billion euros Italy will get in grants
and low-interest loans from the EU Recovery Fund, if its plan is
approved.
Renzi has said the government's Recovery Plan lacks ambition.
"If Conte and (aide Rocco) Casalino want a count (of votes) on
the floor (of parliament), then I only hope that they have done
their sums right," Renzi told RTL 102.5 radio.
However, Andrea Orlando of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD)
countered that it would not be possible to have a new government
supported by the same coalition under a different premier and
suggested that early elections would be needed if the executive
collapses.
The ruling alliance also features the anti-establishment 5-Star
Movement (M5S) and the left-wing LeU group.
"We don't think it is possible to go outside this ruling
majority and the point of equilibrium of this majority is
Conte," Orlando told State broadcaster RAI.
"If you go beyond Conte, you also go beyond this majority and we
can't make deals with (right-wing League leader Matteo) Salvini
and (Brothers of Italy (FDI) leader Giorgia) Meloni".
PD Senate Whip Andrea Marcucci said the government did not have
the numbers required to keep it afloat in the Senate without IV,
and said the door was always open for Senators from the
breakaway group to return to the PD.
Marcucci said "Renzi should listen more, I'm thinking of giving
him ear-phones", but also said he was confident that IV will
approve the new version of the Recovery Plan on Tuesday night.
One of IV's two ministers, Equal Opportunities Minister Elena
Bonetti, said she was still waiting for Conte to "show
responsibility and give us the answers we want".
The other IV minister, farm chief Teresa Bellanova, has been as
outspoken as Renzi in warning of a government crisis unless
Conte accedes to IV's demands.
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