I am very pleased to announce that the European Commission has today approved the payment of the fifth instalment of our NRRP.

We have achieved the milestones and targets required for this instalment, and have even gone a step further: we sent the payment request for EUR 10.6 billion in December, but in May this year we reached two additional goals and this will allow us to receive EUR 400 million more, taking the payment amount for the fifth instalment to EUR 11 billion.

This is excellent news for Italy, it is excellent news for citizens. This news once again refutes those who had bet on this government failing, those who hoped in their hearts that Italy would lose EU money so they could perhaps move ahead in the polls while saying so. This, however, has not been the case. Our work over these months has proven all those predictions wrong. We have proven them wrong by doing what we do best: studying the dossiers, working, and delivering concrete results.

This has also allowed us to achieve a number of records that have been acknowledged by the European Commission. Italy ranks first in Europe in terms of both objectives reached and the financial progress of its NRRP. We are the Member State that has received the highest amount so far: EUR 113.5 billion out of the almost EUR 194.5 billion planned, so 58.4% of our total NRRP amount.

Of course, our work does not stop here; we are continuing to push ahead. Just a few days ago, we submitted the sixth payment request for EUR 8.5 billion, again being the first in Europe to do so.

We have called another steering committee meeting for tomorrow to verify the progress of the milestones and targets required to request payment for the seventh instalment, worth EUR 18.2 billion.
 
Implementing the NRRP is, and will remain, a top priority for the entire government, because every goal achieved is a step forward in making our nation stronger, more modern and more attentive to the needs of households and businesses.

We made this promise to citizens, and we are delivering also on this commitment.

[Courtesy translation]