- Title: ITALY: Italian austerity plan clears last parliament hurdle
- Date: 30th July 2010
- Summary: ROME, ITALY (JULY 29, 2010) (REUTERS) INTERIOR LOWER PARLIAMENT FINANCE MINISTER GIULIO TREMONTI STANDING IN LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT BEFORE VOTE LOWER HOUSE SPEAKER AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE PEOPLE OF FREEDOM PARTY, GIANFRANCO FINI, ARRIVING TO TAKE HIS SEAT LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT PRIME MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI ARRIVING IN LOWER HOUSE BERLUSCONI SPEAKING TO EX SHOW GIRL, PARLIAMENTARIAN GABRIELLA CARLUCCI SCREEN SHOWING THAT VOTE IS OPEN SCREEN SHOWING LIGHTS ILLUSTRATING WHO VOTING SCREEN SHOWING THAT VOTE IS CLOSED AND THEN APPROVED GOVERNMENT BENCHES APPLAUDING TREMONTI SHAKING BERLUSCONI'S HAND INTERIOR PARLIAMENT DEFENCE MINISTER IGNAZIO LA RUSSA WALKING OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) DEFENCE MINISTER IGNAZIO LA RUSSA, SAYING: "I think that Italy made a crucial step towards stability and an ability to resist an economic crisis for which we are not responsible and which we risked affecting the economic health of our country. I think the government worked quite well, and the Parliament even better. (QUESTION: 'The next step will be the stability of the government coalition?') That will happen right now, not later on." WIDE SHOT OF PARLIAMENT SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) CENTRE-RIGHT WING PARLIAMENT MEMBER LUCIANO SARDELLI (SPEAKER OF LOWER HOUSE AND CO-FOUNDER OF PEOPLE OF FREEDOM PARTY GIANFRANCO), SAYING : "The people of freedom party and the government coalition is right behind Berlusconi, I don't think Fini can really take the country to economic and institutional exhaustion." PEOPLE WALKING OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) OPPOSITION PARTY ITALIA DEI VALORI AND PARLIAMENT MEMBER ANTONIO DI PIETRO, SAYING: "The people paying the consequences for all this are the Italian people. They (the government) act like they are about to go to a showdown, behind the back of the Italian citizens, but what's sad is that the Parliament has been deprived of any authority by their conspiratorial way of governing, running the country exactly like Saddam Hussein used to do in his last days, thinking that everything was fine." WIDE SHOT OF PARLIAMENT
- Embargoed: 14th August 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Economic News,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA34ERACJBNHCQGZ4R224NQ7P91
- Story Text: Italy's government has won final approval on its 25 billion euro austerity package in the lower house of parliament allowing it to pass into law.
The Italian government's 25 billion euro ($32.54 billion) package of austerity measures cleared its final parliamentary hurdle on Thursday (July 29) when it was approved in the lower house.
The measures have already been approved in the Senate and the government won a confidence motion on the bill on Wednesday, making Thursday's vote a near-formality.
The package, intended to shore up Italy's strained public finances, cuts spending, freezes pay for many public sector workers and includes a crack down on tax evasion.
The centre-left opposition has criticised the package, saying it hits workers and spares the rich but the government says sacrifices are fairly distributed and necessary to avoid a Greek-style debt crisis.
"I think that Italy made a crucial step towards stability and an ability to resist an economic crisis, for which we are not responsible and which we risked affecting the economic health of our country. I think the government worked quite well, and the Parliament even better," said Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa after the vote.
Now the budget has passed, commentators expect the prime minister to turn his attention to what he considers the biggest thorn in his side -- lower house speaker Gianfranco Fini, a co-founder with Berlusconi of the People of Freedom party.
Berlusconi has been locked for months in open conflict with Fini, prompting growing speculation that his government could fall well before its termin 2013.
"The people of freedom party and the government coalition is right behind Berlusconi, I don't think Fini can really take the country to economic and institutional exhaustion," said centre-right parliamentarian Luciano Sardelli.
"The people paying the consequences for all this are the Italian people' said opposition party leader for the Italia dei Valori party and parliamentarian Antonio Di Pietro.
"They (the government) act like they are about to go to a showdown, behind the back of the Italian citizens, but what's sad is that the Parliament has been deprived of any authority by their conspiratorial way of governing, running the country exactly like Saddam Hussein used to do in his last days, thinking that everything was fine," he said.
As well as its internal splits, Berlusconi's government has been engulfed by a wave of scandals that have cost two ministers and a junior minister their jobs and ensnared some of his close associates in a judicial investigation into influence-peddling. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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