18 September 2026 | 15:24

READING: 1 minute

The cost of energy is “the number one problem” for Italian businesses and households, so it is “right” to be here to “defend the country’s interests,” Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said today in Dublin on the sidelines of the Eurogroup.

“Each country obviously,” Giorgetti agreed, “has a different energy mix. The Commission then rules, intervenes on many factors and imposes constraints on countries. We believe this is also a European issue that affects competitiveness.”

“I,” he added, “just made a very candid intervention during the Eurogroup, saying that while we can discuss broader competitiveness frameworks, today the number one problem for the Italian economy and industry is the price of energy.”

Therefore, Giorgetti continued, “it seems right to me to be here defending the national interests of my companies and their workers.”

For now, however, the European Commission does not intend to legislate on the matter, leaving any action to national governments: “Certainly,” Giorgetti replied, “there is no Commission proposal. However, several colleagues want to raise the issue. We are in an exceptional situation: we must act fairly.”

“So,” he went on, “in our view at least an assessment of who is making profits in such an exceptional situation should be carried out. I believe support will broaden and we’ll see: if the majority backs it,” he concluded, “the Commission will have to take that into account.”