The real challenge for the economy begins now, while the vaccination obligation and the administration of the third dose of the vaccine are two concrete hypotheses. The extension of the Green Pass? The direction of the Government is that. This is the summary of what was said by the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, during the press conference convened in the multipurpose room of the Prime Minister's Office to take stock of the moves of Palazzo Chigi and to provide updates on vaccines, schools, the economy and foreign policy . Ministers Maria Stella Gelmini, Patrizio Bianchi, Roberto Speranza and Enrico Giovannini were also present.
VACCINES AND SCHOOL
“I reiterate the invitation to get vaccinated and I express full solidarity with all those who have been subjected to violence by the No Vax, a particularly hateful and cowardly violence because it is carried out against those who provide information and those who are on the front lines fighting against pandemic". These are the words with which Draghi opened the press conference.
"The campaign is proceeding quickly, towards the end of September 80% of the population will be vaccinated, already today we are 70% completely vaccinated", said the prime minister, also underlining the strong participation of young people between 16 and 19 years old . "The vaccination campaign - he said - has been embraced with great enthusiasm by young people, the massive participation and coverage extended nationwide allows us to face the opening of schools with a certain tranquility and with less uncertainty than last year" Draghi said 11 days after the first bell rang. “Classroom schooling has always been a priority,” he concluded, pointing out that 91,5% of teachers received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Responding to two questions on the possibility of reaching compulsory vaccination or administering the third dose of vaccine, the Premier replied curtly: "Yes to both questions".
GREEN PASS
From vaccines you get directly to the green pass. In the aftermath of the flop protests in the Italian squares, the Premier spoke of the green certification, stating that the application of the green pass “seems to me to be going well. On transport there will always be cases of photos of full vehicles, but in general the preparation has been well done". “The point – continued Draghi answering journalists' questions – is not whether the green pass will be extended, but when and to whom it will be extended”. The methods, times and sectors involved, announced the Prime Minister, will be decided by a control room, "but the direction is to extend it", he reiterated.
With reference to the position of the League, which in the House committee voted against the obligation of the Green Pass, the Premier said he hoped for "greater convergence" in the majority.
ECONOMY AND REFORMS
A comment also on Italian growth: "As you know - said Draghi - the economy continues to grow even much more than expected, just look at the figures forecast by the MEF in March, this gives us encouragement and the job market is also doing well" . In the labor market "there are also reprehensible situations and even there one will have to intervene on a case-by-case basis but generally the situation is favourable".
However, Draghi does not hide and clarifies that the real game begins now. "I don't think it's worth being too pleased with these figures" of economic growth, "they are high, but it is also true that we have fallen in a way that has not been seen for decades, in Italy in 2020: it is in part a great rebound which is happening in all countries. The real challenge will be to be able to maintain the growth rate considerably higher than it was before the pandemic, and that is where we see the ability of the Italian economy to become structurally more solid. In the meantime, we see good news”.
From the analysis to the calendars: “There is a busy agenda in the coming weeks. Tax and competition reforms will be presented. We will address the issue of active employment policies. The government must have an industrial vision that allows for the reallocation and training of workers. It is foreseeable that many sectors will have to restructure themselves ”, she said, highlighting that in the labor market“ there are reprehensible situations that the government must evaluate and intervene on a case-by-case basis, but the situation is overall favorable ”.
AFGHANISTAN
A few hours after the meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, scheduled for tonight in Marseille, Draghi also spoke of the Afghan crisis: “There are many reflections that need to be made on Afghanistan. Today we need to focus our attention on the immediate future: we must do our utmost, help the Afghans. I thank the defense-foreign sector for the extraordinary evacuation work. We managed to bring out 5 Afghans who helped us and who were immediately given refugee status". Answering a journalist's questions about “Europe's inconclusiveness”, Draghi said: “Why is there someone who has been conclusive about Afghanistan? The EU has undoubtedly been quite absent, on certain levels because it was not organised. There is a lot to do” in a period in which “all international relations are being rethought”, said the Premier. "I don't believe in abandonment and isolationism", he added, reassuring that the G20 "will happen".
NO TO THE QUIRINALE
With regard to the debate on the Colle which calls him into question on several occasions, Draghi seems to have closed the door to the possible passage from Palazzo Chigi to the Qurinale: "I find it a bit offensive to think of the Quirinale as another possibility, even towards the President of the Republic" .
THE WORDS OF THE MINISTERS
“The epidemiological situation in the country is stable at the moment – said the Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza – In August very light limitations were held compared to the previous months and this means that the vaccination campaign is the real weapon we have and we have exceeded 70% of the population that can be vaccinated who has completed the cycle and by the end of September we will reach 80% which is a result within our reach".
The day after the reopening of schools, the Minister of Education, Patrizio Bianchi, says he is satisfied with the work carried out over the last few months and says: "Where there are vaccinated classes, you can remove the mask and you can smile again" . "The rules" at school - he underlined - "are those of the Cts: mask, distancing and rules of fundamental hygiene".
