Italian parliament approves 0.6% GDP budget deviation for 2027 and 2028
Both chambers approved the majority resolutions on 13 October 2026, clearing a deviation that Il Sole 24 Ore puts at 29 billion euros for energy and defence spending.
Chamber approves the deviation
On 13 October 2026 the Chamber of Deputies approved the centre-right majority resolution authorising the government to run a budget deviation of 0.6% of GDP in each of 2027 and 2028. The text passed with 219 votes in favour and 110 against, clearing the absolute majority of 201 votes that the resolution required, according to Fanpage. A separate majority resolution on the Documento programmatico di finanza pubblica (DPFP) passed with 216 votes in favour and 116 against. Because the government accepted the majority texts, the opposition resolutions from the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement, Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra and Azione were blocked.
- In favour
- 219 votes
- Against
- 110 votes
Senate follows
The Senate voted on both texts the same day. Its DPFP resolution received 108 votes in favour, 61 against and two abstentions. The deviation resolution drew 109 votes in favour, 61 against and two abstentions. Fanpage reported that the government gave a favourable opinion only to the majority resolutions in both chambers. Both texts therefore passed in each house with the majority side voting as a bloc.
- In favour
- 109 votes
- Against
- 61 votes
- Abstentions
- 2 votes
What the deviation pays for
The deviation uses the national escape clause that the EU allows for defence and energy spending. Il Sole 24 Ore puts the total at 29 billion euros, split into 0.3% of GDP for energy and 0.3% for defence and security. Fanpage gives the figure as 28.8 billion euros over the two years and says the Council of Ministers had already approved the request. The majority resolution also urges the government to give weight to the purchasing power of families. The clause feeds into the 2027 budget law, which the DPFP sets out as its framework.
Giorgetti's case for the deviation
Giorgetti told the chamber that the request is a deliberate step away from prudence.
The request to adjust the budget in order to activate the national escape clause for defence and energy is a deliberate departure from the prudent stance I have previously advocated.
He framed the document with a maritime metaphor about preparing for bad weather.
When the weather forecast predicts a storm, it is wise to check the vessel's condition before heading out to the open sea, and that is precisely what we have sought to do in recent years.
Giorgetti added that the course has to be kept while storm clouds gather on the horizon, and he said planning three years ahead is highly complex because forecasts are updated weekly, as IMF data show.
Deficit path and EU procedure
ANSA reports that the deficit was 3.1% of GDP in 2025 and is projected to reach 3.4% in 2027 with the escape clause in use. Giorgetti confirmed a target of exiting the EU excessive-deficit procedure in the spring, conditions permitting, along with a 2026 deficit of 2.9%. Italy's deficit must come within the 3% of GDP threshold for it to leave the procedure. Giorgetti said the government expects this to be the case for 2026. The government has presented the request as a way to keep public debt sustainable, which Giorgetti said the Commission acknowledges and markets have deemed sustainable.
A half-empty chamber
Giorgetti spoke to a nearly deserted chamber, with about twenty deputies present according to Fanpage, and opposition benches protested, Rai News reported. Asked about the empty seats, he played down the absences and said the deputies were on their way. The chamber did fill up for the votes. Earlier he told La Repubblica that "these people don't want to work on Mondays, but it seems they don't have much appetite for Tuesdays either." The vote was set for 13 October rather than Monday 12 October, because MPs opposed scheduling it straight after the weekend, Fanpage reported.
