Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini said
Friday he would propose to Education Minister Marco Bussetti to
introduce incentives for young people who give blood, in high
schools, technical institutes and universities.
"It's a question of introducing training credits because it
is a act of civility, utility and generosity," he said.
"I believe (blood donation) should be rewarded with these
credits, above all for young people who are afraid of needles or
have some doubts," he said on the sidelines of a blood donation
event in Milan.
Salvini also said that the idea of merging the centre right
into a single party was "not on the agenda".
Asked if he had met Forza Italia (FI) chief Silvio Berlusconi
to discuss merging FI with his nationalist League party, Salvini
said "no, I read so many things in the papers, one more fanciful
than the next".
The anti-migrant Euroskeptic League has leapfrogged
three-time ex-premier Berlusconi's FI as top dog on the centre
right in the last two years as Salvini has taken his hardline
policies nationwide, from his formerly regionalist base in the
north.
The League scored 34% in the recent European elections, more
than doubling its March 2018 general-election score, while FI
sank to 6.3% from 14% at the general election.
The third centre-right party, the small nationalist Brothers
of Italy (FdI) party, surged to equal FI's score in the EP vote.
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