Budget Bill: Secretary General Belloni: the Government’s 2017 budget bill increases the funds for international solidarity​

With reference to the ongoing debate on the budget bill and the expected cuts to public development aid, the Secretary General of the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Elisabetta Belloni, pointed out that the budget bill presented by the Government provides to increase the funds for international solidarity by 320 million in 2017: an additional 120 million to the Italian Development Cooperation Agency and 200 million for initiatives for Africa. The Foreign Ministry has also drafted an amendment to re-establish the 65 million allocation to “La Pergola”, the co-funding of cooperation projects with the European Union. Embassies finance part of this increase through a 30% cut in their budgets. These facts confirm the constant commitment of Italian diplomacy in supporting cooperation efforts.