MEP Picierno: Italy Risks Losing EU Funds Due to Government Inaction on SAFE

Pina Picierno, a Member of the European Parliament, has sharply criticized the Italian government's approach to the SAFE funds, accusing it of making grand announcements without tangible results. "The government announces many things every day, but at the end of the day, it always comes home empty-handed," Picierno stated.

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We have far surpassed the thresholds of ridicule. The government announces many things every day, but at the end of the day, it always comes home empty-handed.

She dismissed the idea that participation in these financial instruments is merely a technical decision, as suggested by Guido Crosetto. Picierno argued that adhering to such tools involves engaging with their procedures, objectives, and finalities, making it a matter of participating in processes of change and decision-making. She questioned how Italy could champion European defense while hesitating at the first concrete step.

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If Crosetto means that it is a neutral decision, he is greatly mistaken. Adhering to those instruments means discussing their procedures, objectives, and finalities. It is not just a matter of financial technique, but of participating in processes of change and decisions.

Picierno also commented on the internal political dynamics, drawing parallels between Salvini's "caporal Vannacci" and Conte's alignment with "Lavrov," suggesting a shared underlying agenda. She expressed skepticism about the Democratic Party's (Pd) ability to formulate a clear stance, predicting individual positions rather than a cohesive party document.

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If Tajani has imagined even for a single moment that the EU and its defense can wait for the Italian right to resolve its leadership and hegemony problems, he was wrong to deal with foreign policy.

Addressing the European Commission's concerns about tight deadlines, Picierno warned that if Italy's political leadership believes the EU and its defense initiatives can wait for Italy to resolve its internal power struggles, they are mistaken. She emphasized that investing in common security and defense is an urgent matter, and any funds not utilized by Italy will be promptly reallocated to other eager member states.

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The times are tight not because Europe is bad, but because investing in common security and defense is an urgency, and because, should Italy not want them, those funds will have to be reallocated to other countries that will be very happy to use them.