Lombardy: Guidesi sounds the alarm over energy costs

“Energy costs remain at unsustainable levels. We cannot afford a further slowdown in production, investment and consumption in Lombardy. With these costs, Lombardy will grind to a halt.” The warning comes from Guido Guidesi, the Lombardy Regional Councillor for Economic Development, who urges that high energy prices be treated as a “genuine energy emergency”.

According to Guidesi, it is necessary to ‘take action straight away’ with ‘immediate decisions’: ‘If we want to safeguard the competitiveness of our manufacturing sector and households’ purchasing power, we can no longer put it off’

The councillor condemns a situation that has deteriorated over the last five years, to which ‘the European Union has not yet devised an immediate and structural response’. Financial speculation continues, and consequently continues to harm households and businesses: ‘Today, businesses risk seeing their profit margins eroded and, as a result, having to reduce or halt production. At the same time, households continue to be forced to cut back on spending in order to meet the cost of their utility bills. It is a situation we cannot afford.’

Guidesi, therefore, appeals to the Government and the European Union, identifying three immediate measures that need to be taken: ‘Greater transparency in the formation and calculation of energy prices, regulatory limits on financial speculation that affects prices, and a price cap to help curb the effects of market dynamics that have nothing to do with actual production costs.’

The Lombardy regional councillor also highlights the work carried out alongside his colleague Massimo Sertori and the regional president, Attilio Fontana, as a positive example of collaboration between producers and energy-intensive industries to find ‘practical solutions’. ‘We have put forward specific proposals, but our views are still not being heard.’