Giorgia Meloni's government is changing course on military spending and has decided to send a clear message to Brussels.
Italy had reserved 14.9 billion euros under the EU's "SAFE" defence loan scheme, but Rome now intends to use between just four and five billion - just enough to cover projects for which contracts have already been signed.
Security Action for Europe (SAFE) is an EU loan instrument designed to provide financial support to member states to speed up defence readiness and close capability gaps.
The government's new plan was set out by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in a series of interviews on Thursday.
Rome says it wants to pursue a balanced approach while it awaits the outcome of negotiations with Brussels to secure flexibility on spending to tackle soaring energy prices.
