Pres Says Cabinet, Parl't Must Approve EU Recovery Fund Before Crisis

Italian media reporting comments from President Serio Mattarella, pleading that the Cabinet and parliament approve the EU's COVID-19 recovery package before any attempt is made to bring the gov't down.

• Mattarella's comments are in line with the MNI Exclusive published on 8 January 'Italy Reshuffle Nears As PM Conte Hangs On'.
• The president's pleas may fall on deaf ears, given that it is the distribution of funds from the COVID-19 recovery package that has exacerbated the schisms between the gov't of PM Giuseppe Conte and the centrist Italia Viva party of former PM Matteo Renzi.
• Nevertheless, should Renzi hold off from seeking to bring down the gov't, it seems likely that it will only prolong the inevitable (either a gov't collapse or a major Cabinet reshuffle) rather than allow for significant dialogue to take place.
• The 'white semester' begins on July 1. This is the last 6 months of Mattarella's term in office, and during this period he cannot call an election. As such, Renzi or others seeking a change in gov't will have to act in the first half of the year or risk waiting until 2022 for their chance to force a vote.