Meloni: Italy will invest more in security and defense

“We believe that out of this 5 billion, no less than 1.4 billion will be allocated to the police and armed forces, with an additional 100 million for the fire brigade. Hence, a total of one and a half billion euros will be dedicated exclusively to the sector you represent. Through this budgetary manoeuvre, we are earmarking five billion euros for national collective bargaining across the entire public sector,” stated Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the commencement of her address during the discussions between the government and representatives of trade unions, as well as the defence, security, and public rescue sectors.

Expressing gratitude on behalf of herself and the entire government for the daily efforts of the sector’s representatives, Meloni proceeded to outline the measures already implemented by the government in the first year of the legislative term. She then delved into specific details regarding measures related to the renewal of public contracts outlined in the 2024 budgetary maneuver.

“We have endorsed the economic maneuver for 2024, which lays the groundwork for further progress. The focal point of this maneuver is the renewal of contracts. As you are aware, contracts in the sector have been expiring since 2021 and are among those contracts slated for renewal,” she elaborated.

Slowly the government is trying to move towards a defence investment of 2% of national GDP in defence, responding to NATO pressure. In 2022, defence spending was 1.7 per cent of GDP