The Dear bills It is still at the center of the debate. The government is working on new measures to face the energy issue, which could be discussed at a next meeting of the Council of Ministers, but not that of Wednesday 19 February. The objectives? Reduce the gap between the gas price on the European and Italian market and expand the audience of the beneficiaries of social bonusso as to offer support to families and businesses in difficulty.
Government objectives
A first summit took place yesterday at Palazzo Chigi, in the presence of the premier Giorgia Meloni, the Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti and the Ministers of the Environment Gilberto Pichetto Fratin and of the European affairs Tommaso Foti. The meeting made it possible to outline the measures that will flow into a next provision, which however continues to be postponed and will not be discussed immediately in the Council of Ministers.
At least a couple of weeks will be needed for define the details and identify the financial covers. Among the issues to be resolved are the compliance with the European regulations on state aid and the search for the resources necessary for the covers.
The expansion of the audience of the social bonus, as already happened in the past, extending the ISEE threshold a 15 thousand euros Compared to the current 9,530 it would have a cost of approx 1.5 billion euros. Significant figure considering the ongoing debates in the majority on other interventions, such as the reduction of IRPEF for the average class or a new tax scrapping. As a result, the watchword is prudence: no hasty decision, but a careful evaluation of the available resources.
On the table of the ministers Giorgetti and Pichetto there are several hypotheses of intervention; One of the main concerns the elimination of the gap between the cost of the gas on the European reference market (TTF index of the Amsterdam stock exchange) and the one on the Italian wholesale market (PSV index), where the price can also be 2 euros a higher megawattara. This measure could translate into an immediate drop in bills, including those of electricity, whose cost is partly linked to the trend of the price of the gas.
“In 2024 the gas generated the 40% of electricitybut the European mechanism establishes the price on the basis of the less efficient plant in peak moment in 70-75% of cases. This system, which was useful to us when the gas cost 10-15 euros, is now proving to be a boomerang, “explained the Minister of the Environment.
Aid also to businesses
Among other measures under discussion, to support the businessesthere are the enhancement of theEnergy Releasemeasures sister of the Gas Release, which provides for the supply of electricity at calm prices to energetic companies that invest in new generation capacities from renewable sources, and the compensation of European taxation ETS on CO2 emissions, which weighs on energy producers.
To dissolve the node, a negotiation with Brussels will be necessary to avoid the risk of violating rigid regulations on state aid. Precisely for this reason, Minister Foti also participated in the meeting.
Among the hypotheses to the study there is a possible intervention on system charges, but the question of financial covers makes this option complex. The finding of resources, in fact, represents the main obstacle for measures to support families.
