“We have adjusted the GDP in 2026 which drops from +0.7% to 0.6%”. The Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti said this in the press conference following the Council of Ministers which approved the Public Finance Document.
“The debt data for 2025, 2026 and 2027 are still affected by the old Superbonus, which weighs on us for 40 billion in 2026 and then there will be another 20 billion in 2027. Without this data the debt trend would have been downward”, observed Giorgetti.
“As regards the 3-3.1% of the deficit/GDP which has been much discussed, as Boskov said “penalty is when the referee blows the whistle”, these are the rules, you can agree or not. I tell you that this whole debate on exit from the procedure interested me a lot until 28 February 2026, i.e. the day before the start of the war in Iran, after that it interested me much less”. Giorgetti observed.
“It is clear that there are many who rejoice because an arbitrator’s decision goes against national interests. This does not happen in other countries.” Giorgetti concluded. “As Boskov said, ‘penalty is when the referee blows the whistle so the referee has decided for the penalty, you can agree or not but these are the rules of the game.’
Eurostat: Italy’s deficit at 3.1%
Meanwhile, according to what was certified today by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, which published the data on the deficit of the Eurozone countries, Italy’s deficit/GDP ratio for 2025 was 3.1%. According to Eurostat data, Italy should therefore remain in proceedings for excessive deficit. To exit the procedure, the Italian deficit would have had to settle below the 3% threshold. On June 3rd, the European Commission will present the spring package of the European Semester, in which it should be definitively decided whether or not Italy will exit the deficit procedure.
Position on Europe
“As for, will we move on our own? I wouldn’t rule it out,” said Giorgetti, replying to those who asked for a possible isolation of Italy in Europe in terms of budget variance.
“Speaking with colleagues, many find themselves, like me, working as doctors in the field hospital, many of us share the same way of seeing the situation. We have wounded arriving from all sides, we cannot treat them by giving them aspirin”. Giorgetti added.
Flexibility and tax rules
“I didn’t ask for an exception to the stability pact – explained Giorgetti – I asked that we need to be ready and flexible to respond to situations. Not relaxed but flexible. What, in my opinion, is not acceptable is the rigidity with respect to approaching a world that has completely changed. It doesn’t stand up. I believe that we are faced with a world that has presented us with challenges and demands answers, promptly”.
Economic maneuver and scenarios
For Giorgetti, “certainly the maneuver will have to be adapted to the situations of the moment. I think we must take note of the new situation. The document foresees scenarios, favourable, unfavourable, adverse”.
“Did some of your colleagues ask me what he foresees? I replied, ask Trump. If you think that the Minister of Economy is capable of making a correct forecast of the next 6-10 months, I think you are off track. Unfortunately, I take note of decisions that are taken well beyond the Italian government”, added Giorgetti.
“The priority is to stem the increase in fuel consumption”
Today the absolute priority as far as the economy is concerned is to stem the situation of the increase in fuel costs, in particular I am thinking of hauliers, because it is one of the main drivers of inflationary tensions. We must attempt to define and limit these types of opportunistic behavior. I know that the categories are on a war footing, I believe that this is the absolute priority”, said the Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti, adding that “the cut in excise duties expires on May 1st, obviously next week we will evaluate, together with the other things we talked about today, the order of priorities”.