Overview
- Matteo Salvini, who publicly criticized the government budget on Tuesday, attacked cuts to education and health and pressed for an extra €1.5 billion to bring pension funding to €4 billion so the Lega can deliver its early‑retirement pledge.
- The draft budget’s Article 52 already sets aside €850 million a year from 2027 to 2029 for pension measures, but its vague wording leaves unclear whether it will legally create the Lega’s proposed ‘quota 64/36’ early‑exit option.
- Lega figures have blamed Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti for poor drafting and say more money is needed to lock in their promise, while allies in Fratelli d’Italia and Forza Italia argue the agreements are already in the law and are pushing alternative fixes on indexation and targeted protections.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has privately urged Salvini to lower the rhetoric and the dispute now moves to parliament, where amendment rounds must respect Ragioneria (state accounting) limits and the overall fiscal targets.
- If the coalition fails to agree, promised measures face two practical risks: the Lega’s campaign pledge could be left unfulfilled and temporary one‑year benefits elsewhere in the budget could saddle the next government with politically costly choices on funding or cuts.