VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Italy will spend around 13 billion euros ($12.62 billion) less this year in European post-COVID recovery funds than it previously targeted, a Treasury document showed, underscoring the country's problems in implementing investment programmes.

The euro zone's third largest economy is eligible for around 191.5 billion euros in grants and cheap loans from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) designed to help the bloc's 27 countries recover from the pandemic.

The Treasury's annual Economic and Financial Document (DEF), seen by Reuters but not yet published, said almost 21 billion of 191.5 billion would be spent by the end of this year, leaving a further 170 billion still to be invested through 2026.

The latest estimate compares with a previous goal of 33.7 billion euros which was made in April, according to the DEF.

In recent years, Italy has consistently underperformed its European partners on using financial help from Brussels. It managed to spend only half its regular EU funds in the last budget cycle, the second lowest share after Spain. 

In the introduction to the DEF document, Economy Minister Daniele Franco said the downward revision was due to the delayed launch of some public works, hurt by surging raw materials prices.

Early this year Prime Minister Mario Draghi earmarked more than 10 billion euros through 2026 to help construction firms cope with sky-high energy bills and other costs exacerbated by the Ukraine war, in an attempt to avoid delays.

As long ago as April the Treasury admitted that spending was going slower than planned, and accordingly cut its estimate of the growth impact of the EU funds and the reforms it must implement to obtain them.

The Treasury believes it can make up for lost ground and in the DEF it raises its estimate for spending the EU funds in 2023 by 12 billion euros.

"The most recent update of the public expenditure projections significantly reduces the estimate for 2022, but correspondingly increases the projections in the final years of the plan," the Treasury said.

Rome has so far secured almost 67 billion euros of EU funds by meeting the policy "targets and milestones" agreed with Brussels. Some 46 billion have already been received.

It is eligible for a further 19 billion euros at the end of the years provided it can complete the 55 targets and milestones set for the second half of 2022. (Reuters)

A political adviser to the Ukrainian president said on Thursday a ceremony at which Russia plans to annex Ukrainian territory on Friday "does not make legal sense" and denounced what he called a Kremlin freak show.

"'Kremlin freak show'. The announced 'entrance ceremony' does not make any legal sense. Non-existent entities cannot enter a country which is disintegrating. Do not waste time on the virtual ru-agenda. Real life will be more interesting: counteroffensive, de-occupation, tribunal," Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter. (Reuters)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) highlighted that Indonesia recorded the highest economic growth among countries and regions of the G20 forum members, thereby indicative of the nation's continued recovery.

"If I was asked to estimate, the second quarter could grow 5.44 percent (year on year/yoy). Go try looking for other G20 countries that grew above five percent. We are the highest among the G20," Jokowi stated while attending the 2023 economic presentation here, Thursday.

With this achievement, the head of state invited all parties to be optimistic about the promising trend of Indonesia's economic recovery. Despite the country facing uneasy global challenges, he insisted that there would be a way to overcome every problem.

"What we are facing is not easy, but we must remain optimistic," Jokowi affirmed.

He affirmed that currently, the global economic conditions were difficult. Developed countries also face economic challenges, such as food security problems, energy crises, and financial turmoil.

However, Indonesia is still able to maintain its ongoing economic recovery. The recovery trend in Indonesia is still relatively strong, he said.

He highlighted several indicators of Indonesia's economic recovery in the form of state revenue that had grown by 49 percent, or Rp1.764 trillion, and tax revenue that had increased to 58 percent, or Rp1.171 trillion.

"Customs and excise revenues also grew to 30.5 percent, or Rp206 trillion, followed by the realization of Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP) amounting to Rp386 trillion, or grew 38.9 percent," he remarked.

In addition, consumer optimism is also high, as the Consumer Confidence Index (IKK) was recorded at 124.7. Bank credit has also grown to 10.7 percent, with Indonesia's trade balance having posted a surplus for 28 consecutive months, amounting to US$5.7 billion.

"This is a very big number, this is a surplus. Our manufacturing Prompt Manufacturing Index (PMI) is 51.7 above global," he pointed out. (Antaranews)

The Health Ministry is strengthening the primary service system to reduce incidents of cardiovascular disease that had become the leading cause of death and used up the most health financing costs in Indonesia.

"To overcome the problem of heart disease in Indonesia, the Health Ministry is strengthening primary services by educating the public (about the disease), (implementing) primary and secondary prevention attempts, as well as increasing the capacity and capability of primary (health) services," Director of Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (P2PTM) at the ministry Eva Susanti said here on Thursday.

Susanti said her side also intensified seven main health campaigns to the community to mitigate non-communicable diseases.

The campaigns promote the importance of immunization, balanced nutritional intake, physical exercise, anti-smoking habit, environmental sanitation and hygiene, disease screening, as well as adherence to medical treatment.

The ministry has also administered 14 types of regular immunizations and expanded the coverage of the program across Indonesia as the primary prevention attempts.

"Meanwhile, as (part of) secondary prevention (attempts), (the ministry conducts medical) screening for the 14 diseases that cause the highest (number of) deaths in each age group (in Indonesia) and screening for stunting (cases), as well as improves ANC (antenatal care) for maternal and infant health," the director remarked.

Susanti said her side also strengthens the capacity and capability of primary services by establishing community health center (Puskesmas) in 171 sub-districts, providing 40 essential medicines, and meeting the needs of primary health human resources.

The ministry noted that 41 million people succumb to non-communicable diseases every year globally, and 17.9 million deaths are caused by cardiovascular disease.

In Indonesia, some 651,481 people die of cardiovascular disease every year.

World Heart Day 2022, commemorated every September 29, has raised the global theme of “Use Heart for Every Heart.” In addition, Indonesia has raised its own theme, “Healthy Hearts for All.”

At the commemoration, the ministry invited people to make simple, positive changes in their daily activities, such as regularly getting medical checkups, quitting smoking, regularly engaging in physical exercises, consuming a healthy and balanced diet, getting sufficient rest, as well as managing stress levels well to have a healthy heart. (Antaranews)