Rome, 17 May (LaPresse) – "Italy considers it necessary to temporarily extend the scope of the National Escape Clause, already provided for defence expenditure, to include investments and extraordinary measures required to tackle the ongoing energy crisis, without altering the maximum deviation limits already set. In the absence of this necessary political consistency, it would be very difficult for the Italian Government to explain to the public any recourse to the SAFE programme under the conditions currently envisaged." This is reportedly what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote in a letter sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.