Fuels, Meloni: «Ready to intervene on excise duties, the EU is interested in flexibility»

The flexibility requested by Italy on the spending rule in light of the increase in inflation? “I have spoken with von der Leyen and with the other EU partners in the Mediterranean, there is interest in listening”. A new excise tax cut? "We are always ready to intervene with the mobile excise duty mechanism. In September the extra VAT revenue was 160 million, but we are asking ourselves whether it is more effective to spend it now or keep it as a provision when the other containment measures are put in place".

Giorgia Meloni speaks at the end of the Med9 summit in Split, which saw the nine Mediterranean countries of the Union discuss the great European challenges - energy costs, climate and international crises. The outgoing Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was absent, and among others the French President Emmanuel Macron was present, having flown out before the meeting with the press also due to the protests that are inflaming the country.

As anticipated, the Prime Minister sought the advice of other States on the dossier of energy prices and the need for a profound revision of the ETS system. But it is with the president of the EU commission, Ursula von der Leyen, that Meloni pressed after the letter sent last Friday.

"We are not alone" in the request for flexibility linked to inflation", underlined the prime minister, citing Greece. "The issue concerns the impact that higher inflation is having on national budgets compared to the inflation planned three years ago when the national plans were agreed. We incur higher costs for the automatic adjustments that affect pensions, the single allowance, but also the raw materials used for example in the creation of the Pnrr. Billions more that we will be asked to spend without having decided". "We are not asking for free spending, but an objective evaluation" Meloni specified to the "frugal" people who are already holding back. Recognizing that the debate will be long and will involve the Council, the Commission and individual member countries.

When asked about the high cost of domestic fuel, the Prime Minister then confirmed her willingness to activate the mobile excise duty system again. But he made it official that a new cut in excise duties is on standby. And, in fact, an appeal was launched to Eni when it hoped that the price cap could be fully restored, i.e. without incorporating the 6.1 cent increase in excise duties without the discount.