“For Prime Minister Meloni, a single tank is worth more than five hospital emergency rooms.” This is the firm warning issued by the Italian Green party Europa Verde—via lawmaker Angelo Bonelli of the Greens and Left Alliance (AVS)—following a review of the government’s draft budgetary plan.
Data highlighted by the Green party reveals that in 2027, the government plans to assign approximately €2.4 billion to healthcare compared to €4.6 billion to defense—nearly double the amount. This funding gap is set to expand even further in 2028, with nearly €5 billion earmarked for weapons and only €2 billion for health. Europa Verde emphasizes that healthcare’s share of the GDP will shrink from 0.10% in 2027 down to a mere 0.07% by 2029, accusing the administration of actively allowing public healthcare to collapse.
A Deficit Funded by the Public
Citing data from the GIMBE Foundation, Europa Verde points out that by 2027, there will be a €7.6 billion gap in the National Health Fund. With the government only covering €2.4 billion, the total deficit will reach €32 billion over three years. The Italian Greens stress that citizens will pay the ultimate price through endless medical waiting lists, regional tax increases, and millions being forced to neglect necessary medical treatment.
The Green party draws a direct comparison between procurement costs: one modern combat tank costs around €29 million, which is equivalent to building five new emergency departments (€5 million each). With the €8 billion currently allocated for new tanks, Italy could construct roughly 1,000 emergency rooms to replace overcrowded hospital corridors. Europa Verde strongly criticizes the government for using EU budget flexibilities to expand the national deficit to 3.4% for military spending, while refusing to request the same flexibility for public health.
Climate Crisis Ignored in Financial Planning
Looking further ahead, Italy’s commitments to NATO mean that by 2035, the country will spend an additional €500 billion on defense and security. Europa Verde warns that these massive sums are being stripped away from hospitals, schools, electricity bill relief, and the green transition.
Furthermore, the Green party stresses that the climate crisis has been completely ignored in this budget, even though Italy remains one of the European nations hardest hit by deadly floods, landslides, and extreme heatwaves. Europa Verde has pledged an intense parliamentary battle, pushing amendment by amendment to shift funds away from weapon procurement. For the Italian Greens, real security is built on functioning emergency rooms and climate-resilient infrastructure, not on adding more tanks to the military fleet.
