Italian PM Gentiloni confident no adverse EU ruling on Italy during Malta’s presidency

The new Italian prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, yesterday said he is confident there will not be any adverse ruling by the EU against Italy during the six months of Malta’s presidency of the EU.

Mr Gentiloni was speaking during the end of year press conference at Palazzo Chigi.

The government will continue the reform process of its predecessor led by Matteo Renzi, Premier Gentiloni said, stressing that jobs, the South and young people were its priorities. Stability is all very well but it cannot “block democracy”, Gentiloni said, stressing that elections must not be seen as a “threat”. He said the government would work with all parties on a new electoral law and the government would remain in charge “as long as it has the confidence of parliament”.

Gentiloni said that “for me the key words are jobs, the South and young people.” He said his government would build on the structural reforms of the previous government of Matteo Renzi. “Full steam ahead on reforms, we haven’t been joking,” he said.

Gentiloni said that “the economy has grown, steady jobs have grown, around 700,000 jobs more” but “there is enormous work to be done in the under-40 age bracket”.

On another economic priority, saving Italy’s third-biggest and the world’s oldest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Gentiloni said that with the government’s €20-billion fund for banks including MPS “we have made savings safe”. But he said the enactment of the decree would be “long and complicated”. He added: “However, a decision has been made and it will be strategic”.

Gentiloni said he had been taken aback by the “abrupt” Christmas Day news of the European Central Bank’s saying a capital hike for MPS bank should be raised from five billion to €8.8 billion. “These are assessments by the oversight (body). Since it will be a very long process, several months, there will be dialogue and talks.”

A man who made a fake bomb threat at the law courts was condemned to 280 hours of community service, and was also fined €10,000.

Libyan national Ahmad Yassine, 36, has lived in Malta since he was very young. He was found guilty by the court for, on 16 November, having phoned up the court’s reception desk claiming there was a bomb in the building.

The court noted that the accused called the GO directory services to check the phone number of the law courts. The courtappointed expert who had checked the mobile data of the accused, confirmed that the number requested had been sent via a text message from GO.

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud said that chaos ensued after the call was made, and said that it was a premeditated act.

Court Director Raymond Scicluna took the witness stand and said that as a result, 400 civil servants cost €4,390 in wages per hour. Since the bomb scare lasted two hours, then the taxpayer forked out €8,780, he explained. The accused pleaded guilty. The Court said that the community would not gain anything if the man were sent to jail, and instead ordered community service.