Minister for Foreign Affairs Giulio Terzi chaired the first meeting of the Spending Review Commission today.
Within the broader context of an overall review of public administration expenditures, the Commission’s task over coming weeks will be to compile a detailed report, employing the criteria of transparency and consideration of the demands of the parliament and public opinion, that identifies priority areas where the ministry can reduce its spending, adapting it to the country’s priorities and to the present financial crisis and, at the same time, fostering the continuous upgrade of the efficiency of its efforts – in particular, through innovations in work methods and in services rendered to citizens and businesses.
In this regard, the head of Italian diplomacy underscored that “tight budget constraints require careful assessment of the adequacy of the instruments at the disposal of our foreign policy and the priorities that can realistically be pursued”, reiterating the serious need “to preserve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ operational capability and that of its diplomatic-consular network at a moment in which growing global competition makes support for national interests even more pressing”.
