Premier Matteo Renzi told his
Democratic Party (PD) executive Monday that unlike former
premier Silvio Berlusconi he was not trying to "impede" judicial
probes such as one into a southern Italian oil project that has
rocked the government.
"The profound difference with others is that they spoke of
legitimate impediment, I say question me, the others spoke of
the statute of limitations where I ask for sentences and I say
do the trials, but quickly," Renzi said. "We are not the same as
others: let that be printed on the heads of anyone who has
doubts. We are not those who asked for legitimate impediments,
but we ask for sentences to be issued seriously, quickly".
Industry minister Federica Guidi quit last week over a
government amendment that benefitted the Tempa Rossa oil project
in Basilicata.
The government is ready to pass a conflict of interest
bill, the premier said, denying critics' claims his
administration is being influenced by the oil lobby.
"People who steal from a public works project must go to
jail (and) if they plea bargain they must return everything up
to the last cent because that is one of our reforms," he said.
"We passed a bill on environmental crimes and we want to
vote a bill on conflict of interests."
He also called on "the Italian judiciary not only to
investigate (the Tempa Rossa deal) as quickly as possible but
also to reach a verdict".
"Some investigations by the Potenza judiciary have an
Olympics-like timing and they never resulted in a verdict,"
Renzi said. "A civilized country is one where verdicts are
reached".
The premier said he wants the judiciary to be "inflexible"
in identifying wrongdoers and putting them behind bars.
"I ask the magistrature, which has all our respect, to be
inflexible in nabbing those who commit crimes and in sending
them to prison," he said.
The premier added anyone alleging the PD took kickbacks
from oil companies "will have to answer for it in court".
"A political battle is one thing, talking about the PD as
though it were a community of criminals is another," Renzi said.
"We are a community of decent people".
The center-left premier went on to talk about an October
referendum on constitutional reforms abolishing the Senate in
its present form to make government leaner and more efficient.
Renzi has said he will resign if that vote goes against him.
"I'm much more interested in the constitutional referendum
than the one on energy, and not because my job is on the line
but because the October vote is a watershed in the reform
process," he said.
"Let's see who wins and who loses and then we'll decide who
goes home," he said, shrugging off attacks from the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) led by Beppe Grillo.
Renzo went on to say it was "fun" to see what he called a
"Holy Alliance" between ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi, rightwing
Northern League leader Matteo Salvini and the M5S regularly lose
confidence motions against the government.
He predicted the same would happen over a confidence vote
on the Tempa Rossa southern Italian oil project which has seen
industry minister Federica Guidi quit over a tapped phonecall to
her oil-man boyfriend about a government amendment benefitting
the project.
The no-confidence vote on the government's handling of the
case is expected later this week.
Renzi also said being leftwing means cutting taxes for
business and boosting public and private investments to grow the
economy. He said Italy, having achieved key reforms, now had the
authority to transmit this message to the whole of the EU via
the European Socialist caucus (PES) in the European Parliament.
"Before now we didn't have alternatives, we were stuck
between a rock and a hard place", he said.
Italy must free up private and public investment to boost
growth above its current fractional amounts, he said.
"My idea is that alongside structural reforms Italy must
unblock public and private investments if it is to rise above
growth percentages higher than a telephone area code," he said.
"That is the government's underlying thesis".
On the international front, Renzi called for "a more
organic project rather than a mere reaction" on Libya.
As well, the center-left premier said "the security problem
won't get solved by barricading the borders - even if it were
possible to do so - but rather by remaining vigilant against
(Islamist) terrorism and also by focusing on outlying
neighborhoods".
The current international scenario "highlights the
difficulties of the European Union," Renzi added, saying the EU
faces "three great crises" - one of ideals, one of political
stability, and one of the European left. Building walls against
asylum seekers will only "destroy the last 25 years of European
policymaking," he said. The PES must take the lead in defining
the EU agenda, Renzi said.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
