"Standard & Poor's assessments seem to be dictated more by the background of the newspapers than by the reality of things and appear to be tainted by political considerations". This is the reaction of the Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, to the decision of the American rating agency, which communicated tonight the downgrade on our country's debt. In its explanatory note, S&P defined the Italian Executive as "fragile", but according to Cavaliere, the Government "has always obtained the trust of Parliament, thus demonstrating the solidity of its majority". As for measures for growth, the Premier is forced to admit that they have not found space in the maneuvers launched in the summer, however the Government is "preparing" them.
In short, according to the Prime Minister, the rating agency would have taken a political decision, based on the mystifications of the Italian media. But Standard & Poor's has no intention of passing for a partisan body, for this reason it replied to Berlusconi with a lapidary note: "Our sovereign ratings - writes S&P - are apolitical and forward-looking assessments of the credit risk provided to investors".
The Treasury tried to tone it down by defining the American agency's decision as "obvious and expected". Especially since Minister Giulio Tremonti is currently engaged in a summit in Via XX Settembre with representatives of banks and businesses. But the president of Confindustria, Emma Marcegaglia, took care of reinvigorating the fire of the controversy, who launched a real ultimatum from Bologna: “Either this government is able to enact serious reforms, or it has to go home. It's obvious. We are tired of being made a laughing stock in the world."
