Italy’s anti-establishment, Eurosceptic, and anti-mass migration parties published their joint governing contract Friday morning, ending a week of speculation over whether protracted talks were to collapse and continue to leave the nation without a government following March’s elections.
While the comprehensive 58-page document touches upon all areas of Italian life, from fisheries to sports clubs, and culture to the environment, certain areas including the European Union, Universal Basic Income, and mass migration will attract particular attention.
The publication of the governing contract comes as leading populist parties in the right-wing coalition led by Lega, and the Five Star League who both saw distinct gains at the national election but failed to gain enough seats to govern alone comes as a new government appears to be emerging. The development comes days after weekend meetings between Lega leader Matteo Salvini, and Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio which included a call to the Italian president to ask for more time for negotiations.
Amid Italy Coalition Talks, Populist Leader Blasts EU for ‘Unacceptable’ Immigration Interference https://t.co/F25zdDeZQ2
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 15, 2018
Under the section dedicated to the major political issue of mass migration, the governing contract states in clear terms that the current approach to mass migration to Italy is “unsustainable… fuelled by national public finds and often managed with little transparency and open to infiltration by organised crime.”
In a clear swipe at the European Union, which has this week haughtily declared that it expects Italy to abide by all previous agreements and instructions issued from Brussels, no matter what the governing parties may have been elected to do, the governing agreement also took aim at the EU’s open borders system. It said:
“The failure of the current migration management system is likely to call into question the same Schengen system.
“Italy must play a decisive role at the European negotiating tables on asylum and immigration policies. We must aim at reducing the pressure of flows on external borders and the consequent trafficking of human beings.”
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— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 10, 2018
Despite this and against the expectations of many, especially following the leak of a claimed draft agreement which saw it included, the document makes no mention on the future of Italy’s membership of either the European Union, or the Euro single currency. Pulling Italy out of the Euro has been a long-held ambition of the Lega, which has long campaigned on the basis that Italy’s industrialised north is held back by being tied to the Euro.
The agreement is bound to bring Italy into conflict with the European Union, however, as in addition to the bullish tone over mass migration the contract also makes big monetary commitments, including sweeping tax cuts and the introduction of a Universal Basic Income of €780 per person, per month.
Calling the initiative a measure to “reintegrate” Italian citizens into the social and working life of the country, the parties say the €780 payment would “guarantee the dignity of the individual… encouraging employment growth”, and most remarkably state is should be part-funded by the European Union.
This story is developing
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