Italy's Meloni urges EU to deliver long-term response to high energy prices

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged the European Union on Monday to develop long-term measures to address high energy prices, warning that Europe risks remaining dependent on emergency responses.

Speaking at an assembly of the Assolombarda business association in Milan, Meloni called for "structural and long-term responses" and said she would raise the issue of flexibility at Thursday's European Council meeting, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

She described her proposal as "a simple proposal based on common sense as well as responsibility."

Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever also sent a joint letter to European Council President Antonio Costa linking energy costs and regulatory simplification to industrial competitiveness.

According to the Italian prime minister's office, the leaders called for faster investment procedures in priority sectors including energy and digitalization, a halt to new bureaucratic burdens and reduced corporate sustainability reporting requirements, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Meloni also criticized the EU's emissions trading system, saying it increases prices, creates disparities between member states and harms businesses.

Meanwhile, Italian Deputy Environment Minister Vannia Gava urged the EU Environment Council in Luxembourg to consider suspending the launch of the EU ETS 2, a separate cap-and-trade carbon pricing system created by the European Union to cover direct CO2 emissions from fossil fuels used in road transport, buildings (heating) and small industrial sectors, which the report said would cover road transport and buildings from 2028.

EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the European Commission did not plan to amend the timetable.

During a visit to Rome, EU Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath said the Commission was working closely with governments to provide flexibility in addressing rising living costs and the energy crisis while maintaining fiscal sustainability.