ITALY: Berlusconi Defends His Government's Programme

ROME, Dic 23 (IPS) - The president of the Council of Italian Ministers, Silvio Berlusconi, forced to resign, defended on Friday the principal measures adopted by his government, and said the promise of one million jobs was not an "empty promise."

"One million new jobs in two and a half years would mean 400,000 new jobs a year and that is the estimate we made for 1995," Berlusconi said.

He added that the budget his government had proposed for next year was "a revolutionary law that for the first time did not introduce new taxes nor cut salaries nor the pensions of people who were already retired."

Berlusconi said that reforms of the social security system continue to be "fundamental for the restructuring of the economy."

He added that if he continues in office until new elections are held, "the government would only carry out ordinary administrative measures" and thus would not implement significant measures in the economic sphere.

Change can only be accomplished by a fully functioning government so "the time that separates us from elections must be as short as possible," he stressed.

Berlusconi also announced that he would sell one of the industries of his economic empire, although he did not specify which.

With respect to privatisations, the prime minister added that his government respected the set schedule and that "there was no resistance" to the process by members of the neofascist National Alliance.

He also stated that if Italy moves towards a federalist system, "the President would have to be elected by the people," adding that for the moment it is necessary "to move in the direction of federalism if it is possible, meaning a greater autonomy of local institutions in the framework of the current constitution."

"To change the constitution it would be necessary to do so according to constitutional provisions."

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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