Italian premier presents economic measures on energy, family

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has presented the government’s first economic policy initiatives. She announced 21 billion euros in budget tweaks that would be used to help industry and families cope with soaring energy prices, as well as measures to incentivize couples to have more children and businesses to hire more women. The budget modifications show a clear political shift, doing away with a basic income and a decade-old pension reform that Meloni and her right-wing allies have long attacked, while coming up with new measures to promote Italy’s perennially low birth rate.