Renzi's plans include the abolition of Cnel. It's no mystery, the Premier reiterated it openly: "Since they've decided to change the Constitution - he said -, are they doing us the courtesy of abolishing the Cnel too?". But the Cnel is not there. In a hearing in the Constitutional Affairs commission of the Senate, the president of the National Economic and Labor Council, Antonio Marzano, clearly stated that "the abrogation of article 99 of the Constitution" and therefore of the Cnel "is not a choice without consequences".
The CNEL "has been very important" and its cancellation "would create a breach in the country's democratic pluralism. Italy would be excluded from some European comparison tables. I'm afraid – remarked Marzano – that social dialogue would have some more problems”.
If then Renzi's intentions to abolish the Cnel are linked to public accounts and the spending review, Marzano points out that the Council "weighs 0,003% on the state budget". What's more: since 2011, Cnel “has returned 35% of the resources received to the State, 27 out of 78 million euros. The cost of the Cnel has dropped from 2010 million euros to 18 million per year since 12”.
According to the data provided by Marzano, "in the use of financial resources, Cnel made eight million euros available to the State in 2013 and nineteen million in 2014". Therefore, between "2011 and 2014, Cnel returned 27 million euros and despite the savings, all the works were produced".
Marzano's conclusion is clear: "Cnel's activity cannot be discussed and within it a real spending review was carried out, in compliance with public finances".
