With 137 votes in favor and 97 against, the Chamber definitively approved the Fuel Decree. The provision, entitled “Urgent provisions regarding oil prices related to the continuation of the new crisis of international markets and strategic energy infrastructures and activities” includes measures that go beyond the reduction of excise duties. The provisions included also include the exemption from car tax for 2027, additional resources for university scholarships and a 150 million euro loan in favor of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Foundation.
Fuel decree: green light to reduce excise duties on diesel and biodiesel
The central part of the provision concerns the reduction of excise duties applied to diesel and biodiesel used as fuels. Initially conceived as an urgent intervention to counter the increase in fuel costs caused by tensions on international markets, the decree confirms the extension, now concluded, of the cut in excise duties on diesel and biodiesel intended for transport.
The measure extended the tax discount for the period between 11 and 17 September 2026. During the parliamentary examination, however, the measure progressively expanded its contents, including a series of provisions of a strategic nature for the national energy sector and for the development of infrastructure.
The substitutive powers of the State in hydrocarbon exploration activities
In fact, the provisions introduced by the fuel decree also include that contained in Article 2, which regulates the substitutive intervention of the State towards the Regions that do not pronounce within the time limits established by the law on the prospecting, research and cultivation of hydrocarbons on the mainland.
The rule aims to prevent the failure of a regional administration to make a ruling from blocking the start or continuation of authorization procedures. In particular, if the Region does not express the requested agreement within 45 days of receiving the documentation relating to research and extraction activities, the Government can activate a replacement procedure.
There is also the possibility that the Prime Minister, upon proposal of the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, may grant a further extension, up to a maximum of 60 days. The deadline instead drops to 30 days when a single proceeding provided for by law no. is already underway. 34/2022. If these terms also expire without a regional decision, the Council of Ministers can appoint a commissioner ad acta, responsible for intervening in place of the defaulting administration and expressing the necessary agreement. The provision also contemplates the possibility of supporting him with a sub-commissioner, appointed by the Council of Ministers on the proposal of the Prime Minister. The latter has the task of supporting the commissioner and can temporarily assume his functions in case of impediment.
Car tax 2027, exemption for some vehicles
Among the innovations of greatest interest to motorists contained in legislative decree no. 162 there is an exemption from paying car tax for 2027. The relief, however, does not apply to all vehicle owners without distinction. The provision provides for the exemption for only one car for each natural person, provided that the power of the vehicle does not exceed 80 kW. The benefit is therefore limited to cars that comply with this limit and does not automatically extend to all vehicles owned by the same taxpayer.
There are also specific rules for motorcycles and mopeds. In this case the exemption can concern only one vehicle, identified as the one with lower power, but only if the owner does not already benefit from the exemption for a car. The law also considers territorial autonomies. Since the car tax is a tax falling under the jurisdiction of the regions and the autonomous provinces, the application of the exemption in the regions with special statutes and in the autonomous provinces is subject to the conclusion of specific agreements.
To compensate for the lost revenue deriving from the subsidy, the decree provides for transfers to the Regions and autonomous Provinces for a total of 2,293.5 million euros in 2027. The distribution of the resources must be defined with a subsequent ministerial decree, taking into account the agreements with the autonomies involved.
Universities, 288 million more for scholarships
The decree is not limited to interventions on the energy sector and car taxation. A part of the resources is also allocated to the right to university study. In particular, the scholarship fund is increased by 288 million euros for the 2026 financial year. The allocation is aimed at supporting interventions in favor of university students and strengthening the resources available for the right to education system.
This is additional funding which intervenes in a particularly relevant sector for access to higher education, with the aim of making greater resources available for scholarships intended for students in possession of the required requirements.
Milan-Cortina Foundation, 150 million allocation
Another intervention concerns the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation, to which the decree assigns 150 million euros to guarantee the balance of the budget. The transfer is scheduled for the year 2026 and is added to the contributions already established by the local authorities involved. The Foundation will have to account for the use of the sums received through a detailed report to be sent to the political authority delegated for sport and to the Ministry of Economy and Finance within 30 days of approval of the final liquidation budget.
The law also establishes that any resources not necessary to guarantee the financial balance of the Foundation must be returned to the State.
