Weeks of sacrifices, between orange and red zones, could be almost behind us. A first easing of the restrictions could come after Easter, but to return to normal we will have to wait another three months. At the same time, the government will maintain the measures to support the economy until the end of the year. This is the summary of what the Minister of Economy, Daniele Franco, who spoke together with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak at an event organized by Bloomberg.
"Last week we launched measures for 1,5 percentage points of GDP and in the coming weeks we will proceed" in this direction, explained Franco. Premier Draghi has already announced a new budget deviation which will be requested at the same time as the presentation of the Economic and Financial Document (Def). As for the near future, after the Dl Sostegni "further measures will be introduced” in view of a gradual reabsorption of aid in the second half of the year and a “return to normality”. “I expect to finish with the measures to support the economy towards the end of the year", has continued.
Sul GDP, the owner of the Mef estimates that the Italian Gross Domestic Product "will drop significantly in the first quarter, but will recover in the second and then accelerate in the third and fourth quarters of the year".
Speaking instead of the evolution of the pandemic, Franco declares himself optimistic: "We believe that after Easter the situation will gradually improve and we will move towards normality in May and June, thanks also to vaccines and climatic conditions", he said.
The minister also spoke of the resources of the Next Generation Eu. The Draghi Government will deliver the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to Brussels “by the end of April. The plan envisages loans and transfers for us for a total of 190 billion euros over six years, around 10% of our GDP, and we plan to use them to boost investment in many areas".
“Italy has a long-standing problem of productivity growth and dynamics,” he added. “We will use these European funds, together with national resources, to address these weaknesses, of course to fight the pandemic and restore growth to pre-crisis levels but also to push potential growth, investments, youth and female employment rates”.
