Foti: EU funds could provide scope for action on energy bills
“Measures to support renewables” are also on the table for discussion
ROME - The authorities responsible for managing European funds have received official notification regarding a possible new reallocation of funds to finance measures to tackle the energy crisis.
And so a match that is not expected to be straightforward gets underway, with several regions making no secret of their reservations about the operation.
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, given the limited level of resources in the 2021–2027 programming period that are, in effect, free from legally binding commitments. And because, unlike the previous reallocation approved by the Commission in March to coincide with the mid-term review – which was also optional – this time the regions have no incentives.
The mid-term review, in fact, with almost €7.1 billion reallocated by Italia across the various priorities set by the Commission (out of a total of €34.6 billion for the EU), had found a significant boost in the benefits available to the regions for the projects involved, such as 100% co-financing and an extra year for expenditure and reporting.
The new proposal, which was formally announced in recent weeks by Commission Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, cannot, however, rely on this lever.
