Italian deficit uncontained, a blow to Meloni’s campaign plans

Her bad mood was visible most clearly in her jabs at ISTAT: ‘Now it tells us it is revising the 2024 growth estimates. It turns out growth was 1.1% instead of 0.7%. I don’t know whether ISTAT is underestimating Italians or underestimating the government.’

Meloni’s losing streak continues. She had hoped, and expected, to turn up on Bruno Vespa’s talk show on Tuesday evening, September 22, boasting about Italy’s early exit from the excessive deficit procedure. No such luck. ISTAT certified that the deficit was not back within the 3% limit, exceeding it by 0.08%, and that spells serious trouble. The premier took it on the chin all the same, and so did the stoic host, who had very recently gone through a bad fall and fresh surgery. But at the appointed hour both of them showed up, battered and sore, but on the job.

Meloni could not hide her disappointment: “I’m clearly unhappy about it. It’s the classic coming up just short of the finish line. We have brought the deficit down from 8.1% to 3.08%. It means we’ll continue according to the original timetable.” Her bad mood was visible most clearly in her jabs at ISTAT: “Now it tells us it is revising the 2024 growth estimates. It turns out growth was 1.1% instead of 0.7%. I don’t know........

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