Politics
in the government •
Giancarlo Giorgetti has signed off on the thirteenth package of military supplies to Ukraine
After almost two days of tensions within the ruling coalition, the Minister for the Economy and Finance has also signed the document. The rift between the Lega and the other parties in the governing coalition remains
11 NOV 26
Last updated: 10:06 PM
Translated by AI
The Minister for the Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti (photo: Ansa)
Giancarlo Giorgetti has signed the Ukraine decree. The signature came this evening following days of controversy and despite the Lega’s high-profile protest at the COPASIR meeting. The Minister for the Economy and Finance has now also signed off on the 13th package of military aid to Ukraine. These have been days of tension – tensions that Meloni has tried to downplay by assuring that “this is not a Giorgetti issue; it is a temporary physical impediment. I presume that when he returns to Rome, he will sign the package”.
Here is the official statement: “Having verified compliance with parliamentary policy guidelines and financial feasibility, the Minister for the Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, signed the interministerial decree on the 13th aid package for Ukraine this evening.”
Giorgetti’s failure to sign the Ukraine decree was merely a pretext to stage a spectacle involving Claudio Borghi of the Lega at Copasir. It is 3.30 pm when the Committee meets to outline the latest aid package for Kyiv. Borghi takes the floor and attacks Guido Crosetto. He says he is speaking ‘on behalf of the party. And my party is against aid to Kyiv’. Crosetto replies that he is “ashamed” of those who do not want to help Ukraine, adding that “defence is like an insurance policy” and that we cannot “be the only ones not to give”. Crosetto asks Borghi whether perhaps the Ukrainian resistance is causing annoyance. Marco Pellegrini, of the M5S, sides with the League member, just as in the old days, when Conte and Salvini were passing security decrees. As to why Giorgetti has not yet signed and what consequences Tajani’s ill-advised remark—that “we’ve already signed the decree,” uttered on Monday evening on Vespa’s programme—has had, League member Stefano Candiani, known for bluntness, comments: “Giorgetti is in bed in Varese with a hernia and can’t get up. It’s clear he’ll sign it as soon as he’s well enough.” How many weeks can a government last with Salvini regarding Tajani as “a peacock”, and Meloni thinking of Tajani and Salvini: “Are these the allies we’ve got?”
So, is everything sorted out then? Not quite. At the Lega’s extraordinary congress, Matteo Salvini had said that “over the past five years we have supported the Ukrainian people in every possible way, but I believe that this congress will give me – if you re-elect me as federal secretary – the mandate to go before the Council of Ministers and put forward the Lega’s clear position: we cannot continue to send money and weapons to Ukraine”.
Everything has therefore been postponed until next month, when the new ‘framework’ decree governing the provision of civilian and military aid in 2027 is due to be discussed.
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Carmelo Caruso, giornalista a Palermo, Milano, Roma. Ha iniziato a La Repubblica. Oggi lavora al Foglio
