The spending cuts in the drawer, – Corriere della Sera

The spending cuts in the drawer, – Corriere della Sera

Policy and discontent

Milan , July 31, 2014 – 7:07

     
     
 

Nothing personal: at least we are certain of this, when Carlo Cottarelli does not backtrack renouncing About matured in recent times. And that would have already anticipated the Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. That is, to leave his post after the summer. October is the scheduled date.

What Renzi he had with the commissioner spending review the same tune of Enrico Letta, who had appointed him, it was not a mystery. Moreover, in spite of rumors same arrival former mayor of Florence at Palazzo Chigi, which indicated Cottarelli as a candidate to take the reins of the Economic Department of the Presidency of the Council, he spent the months since the new government unquestionably have not been the easiest. And certainly not the responsibility of the Minister of Economy Pier Carlo Padoan, with whom the Commissioner has shared a long militancy in international bodies, to represent our country.

The obstacles he faced were way down politicians. Probably not entirely unexpected. But not in the proportions and shapes waiting to be in front when he returned from Washington after 25 years at the International Monetary Fund to deal with the famously Italian. Meanwhile, a completely different approach by Renzi than Letta, in relation to the chapter “spending cuts” and the tasks Cottarelli. One approach that has had the effect of resizing objectively the role of the commissioner: downgraded from a kind of independent authority responsible for not only identify waste and inefficiencies inside the public administration but also to propose cuts in expenditure items bulkier, a simple external consultant. As, of course, authoritative, but nonetheless a foreign body in the control room. Condition became more and more palpable as the time passed. And evidently less and less bearable.

Then some facts that speak for themselves . Yesterday this newspaper Francesco Giavazzi is appropriately asked

where it got the job Cottarelli. Adding to that the commissioner spending review should make it known boldly where, how and how much you should cut, putting the government in front of the responsibility for not doing so. We know, because he has written before about the “Courier” Riccardo Puglisi, one of the participants in the working group coordinated by Massimo Bordignon Cottarelli who had asked for a report on the costs of the policy, which are prepared from March 25 reports on as many segments of the public expenditure prepared by teams of experts. All files, imagine searing, that the commissioner had already wanted to post but instead remain in the drawers. And the reason is simple: Cottarelli has not yet had permission from the government to make them known. Why after so many months has not got the go-ahead of the Palazzo Chigi one can only speculate. Perhaps the conclusions contained in those reports are not entirely shared? Maybe. That would fit well, but it is unlikely that the Commissioner, and the government itself, had not calculated.

Certainly the non-publication of the 25 dossier made it even more obvious , if there was a need, the difficulty with which Cottarelli faces. To begin with perhaps the most important. It’s fine to intervene on eight thousand public companies: it is a giant black hole as evidenced by the existence of companies with more than 2,761 employees directors. But how do you identify cuts of € 17 billion, at least as much public spending should be reduced in 2015, if you can not even touch the two chapters bigger? Health is actually output from the spending review with the covenant of Health: an agreement between the Government and the Regions. While pensions for the express wish of the executive, there are never any revenue. The agency ‘Adn Kronos’ yesterday said that Cottarelli “continues to work, as always, in close contact with its natural partners.” And that “may soon rely on his blog, it being the last speech of July 7, a post to return to highlight the need for selective cuts and non-linear, with reference to the case of retirement at 96, barely addressed in the decree Pa “. Just pensions, looks a bit ‘… A few hours later, the surgery was announced on the blog by the news that has been provoked political reactions. Perhaps his last testimony (even this allowed?) From Commissioner, even before the official announcement of divorce. With the result that the next cut in public spending result of the work of Cottarelli will be his salary.
Sergio Rizzo
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July 31, 2014 | 07: 07

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED