Italy uses corona aid for stadium construction – EU stops payment

Brussels, Rome The “Artemio Franchi” stadium dates back to the 1930s, a listed concrete block in which around 43,000 fans can watch AC Fiorentina’s first division games. “This is very good news,” said Dario Nardella, mayor of the Tuscan capital of art, when the Italian government decided to push ahead with the renovation – also with millions of euros from the reconstruction fund that Europe set up during the pandemic. That was in April 2021, when Mario Draghi was still in power in Italy.

Today, two years and a shift to the right in the country later, Nardella’s dreams are in danger of bursting. The reason is the EU Commission: The renovation of the stadium and the area around it costs around 200 million euros, 64 million of which should flow from Brussels. There are now doubts about that: Although the Commission approved Italy’s reconstruction plan in June 2021, it is now demanding improvements – and has stopped the payment of the next billion tranche for the time being.