Salvini: bill-blocking hypothesis 2026 at pre-war levels

Pressure and fears over further increases in electricity and gas and fuel bills prompted Matteo Salvini to hypothesise with his colleague Giancarlo Giorgetti 'solutions' for families and businesses, including 'a bill freeze', i.e. halting the increases triggered on 27 February, to the pre-war Iran 'throughout 2026'.

Same for petrol and diesel. Resetting increases to zero is the stuff of tens of billions of euros, and it is the path chosen by the government in 2022-2023 after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, which 'cost' around 90 billion, recalls Nomisma energia president Davide Tabarelli, according to whom it is therefore a matter of 'cutting taxes and increasing public debt'.

Thus derogating from the Stability Pact, which Ursula von der Leyen currently vetoed. But 'the economic situation for millions of Italians is in danger of becoming more and more complicated,' recoils the Lega Nord leader, vice-premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, and shouts at Europe: the EU 'asks us for rigour' but 'the situation is delicate. Either Brussels realises this, or we sound the alarm,' he warns, interviewed by Rtl. 'If we can all derogate from the Stability Pact together, fine. Otherwise,' he adds, 'we will be forced to go it alone, and I want to see if someone will open an infringement if we dare to help Italian companies and families in difficulty given the increase in the cost of energy.

Moreover, Salvini recalls, 'France has exceeded 5%, we are at 3'. Of this as of reviewing the Ets and loosening the brakes on the rigour of the accounts ('at a time when the sickness is getting worse, not because of Italian choices but because of the international context, it is not sustainable') Salvini is preparing to speak in Brussels 'to block any possible increase, which is already underway'. "Think what it would be without the €1 billion put into the budget" for the excise cut, which has been extended to 1 May but which he aims to keep going.

The deputy prime minister will also press the oil companies for commitments to make a contribution in light of the extra profits they are pocketing. All this should also be explained next Saturday at the Patrioti rally in Milan. In this tense situation, the Carroccio leader meanwhile says he agrees with Eni's number one Claudio Descalzi that 'we cannot do without Russian gas and oil for long'. A point on which Giorgia Meloni puts the brakes on: 'Descalzi is an operator in the sector, I understand his point of view, I continue to hope that when the problem arises we will have succeeded' in achieving 'peace in Ukraine'. 'But' on Russian gas 'we have to be very careful how we move'. On the economy in general, the premier said she was 'very concerned if we do not succeed in resuming and moving forward with the round of negotiations and we do not succeed in reopening the Strait of Hormuz'.