Berlusconi and the energy crisis
Energy 18 June 2023Estimated time of reading: ~ 1 minutes
Since the beginning of the energy crisis in 2022, Silvio Berlusconi has started highlighting the serious emergency created by rising bills for households and businesses in Italy and in the rest of Europe. As then Forza Italia’s leader stated last summer, the cost of electricity and gas had grown 4 to 6 times in one year, with many families in the difficult situation of having to make “a dramatic choice: pay their bills or do the shopping.” At the same time, Berlusconi was worried for those companies that had to close down or reduce their staff. He urged the Italian government of that time and the others around Europe to take measures “to sterilize the increases and immediately start with the construction of regasifiers, waste-to-energy plants, renewable energies, and also with research on clean nuclear power.”
Berlusconi’s worries were echoed in the most recent European People’s Party’s (EPP) position on energy. According to the EPP, Europe needs a sustainable joint energy policy, combined with a functioning common market for energy. The latter should be based on market principles that pool the purchasing power of all European countries. Considering security as one of the core issues for the EU, the EPP promotes investments in cross-border energy infrastructure. In this view, the EU would have more independence and diversity when it comes to energy supplies, with beneficial effects on both competitiveness and economic growth, as well as creating new jobs. Future developments in the EPP energy policy will thus be in line with Berlusconi’s view and somehow take into account his goals for families and business.
Written by: Francesco Marino
