Parliamentary Political News, edition of 16 May 2024

We talk about the TV comparison between Giorgia Meloni and Elly Schlein, super bonus, Catering Day and the attack on Robert Fico

THE MELONI-SCHLEIN TV COMPARISON AT RISK

The possibility of the TV confrontation between Giorgia Meloni and Elly Schlein scheduled for the evening of May 23rd on Rai Uno in view of the European elections is becoming more complicated. The Communications Authority has established that the Prime Minister and the secretary of the Democratic Party will only be able to face each other if the majority of the lists present in Parliament say yes, that is, if five out of eight lists give their green light. But at the moment Viale Mazzini reports that only “four of the eight lists have accepted the two-way comparison”. Therefore Rai “believes that it cannot plan any comparison in the terms previously proposed”. Schlein says he is “available for discussion anywhere and at any time”. For the leader of the M5S, Giuseppe Conte, he is sorry that “there was a need for a ruling from Agcom when a little common sense and respect towards the voters, who do not deserve these clever things, would have been enough”.

SUPERBONUS. SENATE GREETS TO CONFIDENCE

The Senate gives the green light to the superbonus decree. The text now goes to the House. Among the measures contained are the distribution of deductions on building bonuses over 10 years, with retroactive effect, and the ban from 2025 on banks offsetting tax credits with social security contributions. The introduction of the sugar tax will then be postponed to 1 July next year and that of the plastic tax will be postponed to 2026. “The super bonus was and is a burden that weighs on the state’s accounts – says minister Luca Ciriani – so securing the state’s accounts is the number one priority”. After the battle against the retroactivity of the measure, Forza Italia says it is “perplexed”, but Antonio Tajani and his party confirm their trust in the government.

CATERING DAY IS BACK ON SATURDAY, A LAW TO CELEBRATE IT

Catering Day returns on Saturday, the initiative created by Fipe Confcommercio to enhance Italian gastronomy. 10,000 businesses took part in the event, including restaurants, trattorias, taverns and pizzerias. In the Chamber, assigned to the Productive Activities Commission, there is a bill on the establishment of Catering Day, presented today in Montecitorio in a conference in the presence of the president Lorenzo Fontana and the ministers Adolfo Urso and Francesco Lollobrigida. For Fontana “everyone envies us the goodness of our products, we must be proud of our specificities. We must not only valorise them but also pass them on, against attempts to standardize everything”.

ATTACK IN FICO, SALVINI ATTACKS THE EUROPEAN LEFT

Robert Fico no longer appears to be dying. “He is serious but out of danger”, say the doctors who operated on the Slovak prime minister, who was the victim of an attack yesterday. The populist leader was shot several times and seriously injured. An attempted murder that has caused concern throughout Europe. The leader of the League Matteo Salvini says he is “shocked” by the attack on the Slovak prime minister and criticizes those “across Europe who have shouted the alarm about fascism without wanting to see the anger and hatred spilled out on a daily basis by others such as Islamic extremists or militants of the pro-European left”. Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein observes that “political violence is always extremely worrying”.