December 12, 2024
Source: EurActiv
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Italian government divided over scrapping COVID-19 vaccine opponent fines
“This amnesty is a slap in the face to science and decency.”
The measure cancels the unpaid fines worth an estimated €150-170 million-from the total of around 1.8 million fined Italians who had to pay a total of €180 million.
The Italian government's decision to scrap fines for those who refused to take the compulsory COVID-19 vaccine has sparked widespread controversy, drawing criticism from health professionals, opposition parties and even ruling coalition members.
On Tuesday, the Council of Ministers approved a measure contained in the Milleproroghe decree that will not refund those who refused the COVID-19 vaccine and paid the fine while 'pardoning' and cancelling the fine for those who ignored the penalty. The news came exactly five years after the first cases of an unusual respiratory illness were reported in Wuhan hospitals.
The measure cancels the unpaid fines worth an estimated €150-170 million-from the total of around 1.8 million fined Italians who had to pay a total of €180 million. The ruling majority, composed of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia, Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani’s Forza Italia, and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini’s Lega, is divided on the issue.
It is "absurd", said Licia Ronzulli, Vice-President of the Senate and member of Forza Italia (EPP), calling it "a slap in the face of the rule of law" and a risk to public health.
But Forza Italia's leader in the Senate, Maurizio Gasparri, tried to play down the rift.
“Forza Italia is a cornerstone of this government. While there are differing opinions, this does not signal division within the majority,” he said.
As for Lega (Patriots for Europe), it has long advocated what Salvini has called a signal of "national reconciliation", with some in the party continuing to push for the reimbursement of those who have already paid their fines, a proposal that was included in an early draft of the decree but was ultimately omitted from the approved version.
Lega's Claudio Borghi, who has been campaigning for this, said that the possibility of reimbursing those who have already paid "should still be evaluated. If the number of those who have paid is small and there is a risk of lawsuits, it could be considered".
Meanwhile, Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia (ECR) appears aligned with the measure. Party official Giovanni Donzelli characterized the fines as “an overreach” during an exceptional time.
Fratelli d'Italia's Senate leader Lucio Malan also argued that recent findings by Italy's medicines agency AIFA showed that COVID vaccines were not designed to prevent transmission, undermining the rationale for the fines.
Fierce criticism from the opposition and the medical community
However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition and the medical community.
Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein called it “another grave decision” and said the government is “winking at tax evaders and those who ignored the rules.”
The party has submitted a parliamentary question to Health Minister Orazio Schillaci, describing the measure as "an insult to those who endured and sacrificed during the pandemic and a disgrace to the memory of the COVID victims".
Harsh words also came from the opposition Five Star Movement, which accused the government of "rewarding lawbreakers" while ignoring the needs of a struggling health system.
“This amnesty is a slap in the face to science and decency,” read a statement from its MPs on the Social Affairs Committees.
Health organisations have also voiced strong opposition to the decision.
"During the pandemic, the vaccination mandate was essential to protect the population," said Filippo Anelli, president of the National Federation of Medical Orders, adding that the measure was unfair and detrimental to public health.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Francesco Cognetti, president of the Federation of Oncologists, Cardiologists and Haematologists and President of the Forum of Scientific Societies of Italian Hospital and University Clinicians.
“As representatives of the medical-scientific community, we completely oppose this decision,” said Cognetti.
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