The Prime Minister is at loggerheads with Istat over its underestimation of GDP, whilst the minister hails the low estimates as a credit to the government.

“If we do not develop structural, long-term solutions to high energy prices, we risk becoming increasingly at the mercy of emergencies.” Giorgia Meloni once again highlights energy costs as one of the key issues affecting European and Italian competitiveness

The Prime Minister will report on the forthcoming European Council meeting. Here is the draft resolution endorsed by the majority: on the agenda are the Ukraine issue and the government’s proposal to appoint a special envoy for the conflict

Insulted as a ‘Ciociara’ – a term she does not technically fit under – Meloni reacted with Lazio pride, extolling the illustrious figures of the sub-region whose capital is Frosinone. And despite Dante’s scathing criticism, Bonifacio is no less important than Marcello Mastroianni and Nino Manfredi

With unusual timing, on the day of the vote on the new electoral law, the Prime Minister weighed in on a dispute in the Pontedera town council: “A gentleman from the PD said that Meloni is a ‘ciociara’, in the most derogatory sense. But it is one of the most beautiful areas in Italy.” Calenda is impressed by the references to ancient history: “Well done for recalling Gaius Marius.” The mayor interjects: “The councillor meant to say ‘caciarona’.”

For 2026, the government is forecasting a deficit at the upper limit of European rules (2.925 per cent). The use of the VAT windfall (170 million) to fund the diesel discount could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, pushing the deficit back up to 3.1 per cent 

The Prime Minister and the President of the Republic reiterate their condemnation of terrorism and anti-Semitism and their commitment to protecting civilian populations, with a view to a peace based on the two-state solution