ROME - The funds available to the Farnesina's "Italians in the world and migration policies" program will go from 125.87 million to 75.64 million euros. This is what the Budget Law provides which, in Table 6, contains the measures concerning the missions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The text was examined by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber which yesterday approved a favorable report with two observations regarding personnel and cooperation.
The rapporteur of the provision in the Commission was the deputy Alessandro Battilocchio (Fi) who illustrated the text to his colleagues in the presence of the undersecretary Giorgio Silli.
Battilocchio explained that the 2023-2025 budget bill authorizes, for the estimates of the MAECI, final expenses, in terms of accruals, equal to 3,282.62 million euros in 2023, 3,251 million euros for 2024 and 3,091 million euros for 2025.
Compared to last year's law, continued the speaker, there is a "slight decrease, equal to 22.94 million, attributable to a reduction in capital expenditure (-48.5 million) against an increase in current expenses (+26.45 million)”.
The appropriations of the Farnesina represent 0.482% of the final expenditure of the state budget.
The estimates of the Ministry "shows, under current legislation, a total allocation for the year 2023 of 3,304.66 million euros" with a decrease in final expenses which, overall, amounts to 28.7 million euros.
Undersecretary Silli underlined that “the resources allocated by the budget law for the MAECI represent a long-term investment, capable of producing wide-ranging benefits for the whole country at an economic, commercial and cultural level. Most of the expenditure items have an incompressible nature and, therefore, cannot be the subject of a spending review like other Dicasteries: moreover, - he concluded - it would be completely illogical to make cuts to our diplomatic corps, which represents an Italian excellence in the world".
In the debate following the illustration of the text, Fabio Porta, elected abroad with the Democratic Party, announced the contrary vote of the Democratic Party, arguing that the law is "completely inadequate to deal with the country's emergencies" and "risks seriously undermining the international role of Italy”.
The 5 Star Movement is also against it, as confirmed by Federica Onori, elected in Europe, according to whom the law conflicts with the Government's declarations: "the "slight decrease" illustrated by my colleague Battilocchio compared to the 2022 budget law - equal to 22.94 million – is not just numerical evidence, but represents a choice, the result of a vision that cannot be shared in any way”.
The Commission therefore approved the report proposed by the rapporteur.
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