"Citizens' intolerance is legitimate, but the Public Administration must be respected". This, in summary, is the thought expressed by Prime Minister Mario Monti in his speech at the opening of the Public Administration Forum at the Nuova Fiera di Roma.
“I would like to thank all the employees of the Public Administration, who in this phase of general difficulty face particular critical issues, even risks for their safety. The closeness and support of the government are unconditional and constant", reiterated the Prime Minister, however, implicitly referring to the recent attacks on Equitalia and the Revenue Agency.
Tomorrow Monti should visit the general directorate of the Revenue Agency and its operational arm, Equitalia. He will be welcomed by the president of the company, Attilio Befera, and by the vice president, Antonio Mastrapasqua. Monti will address them, the 8 employees, worried about the escalation of threats and attacks.
“The fact that members of the public administration are called upon to perform very delicate, very unpopular functions does not mean – warned Monti – that the importance of those functions is less essential. It does not mean that the respect that citizens owe them has diminished, even in a phase in which a certain intolerance of citizens for the overall costs and the not yet adequate overall functionality of the Public Administration is legitimate".
The prime minister also spoke on the issue of public spending cuts: “The spending review doesn't just mean cuts, but a better reallocation of resources, taking advantage of savings opportunities”. In short, it is necessary "a more prudent and efficient use of the resources that citizens give to the State with taxes".
