Italy puts ‘crown jewel’ up for sale as Giorgia Meloni-led govt tackles massive public debt

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Key Points

The hard-right government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni aims to raise 20 billion by 2026 through sale of stake in Poste Italiane an institution that she once dubbed a "crown jewel" that must stay in state hands and other entities..

"Our approach will be light-years away from what we have seen in the past, when privatisation rhymed with gifts for lucky entrepreneursWe can sell some stakes in public companies without compromising public control," Meloni said last week..

The Italian government aims to sell stakes in Poste Italiane (which turns big profits through its insurance and banking operations) as well as rail company Ferrovie dello Stato and energy giant Eni...

The partial privatisation campaign however kicked off in November 2023 with the the government opting to sell a quarter stake in bailed-out lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena the world's oldest bank for 920 million..

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