“We still do not know whether Italy will join or not," Guido Crosetto said on Wednesday
Italy has been allocated €14.9 billion in SAFE loans, but Rome now appears unlikely to tap into its share of the €150 billion EU programme.
A rift within Giorgia Meloni’s majority has left her without a clear and unified position on defence spending. This despite the topic being pushed to the top of the agenda at Thursday’s EU leaders’ summit amid growing concerns over a reduced US security commitment to Europe.
The SAFE dossier has become the subject of a power struggle between Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, a member of Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia, and Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, one of the most senior figures in Matteo Salvini’s League party.
The rift emerged in early May when, under pressure from the League, which has openly campaigned against higher military spending, Meloni signalled that Italy could scale back its initial request for €14.9 billion in SAFE loans. Instead, Rome asked the Commission for greater fiscal flexibility to cope with the energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East.
