Schlein’s move: a letter to Meloni on climate and energy

Elly Schlein has called on the government to hold discussions on climate and energy and, in a letter to Giorgia Meloni, has set out a five-point plan to be funded by the €14 billion allocated as an exception to European budgetary constraints, as agreed with Brussels. “This is an important opportunity to implement structural measures that will lower the cost of energy,” writes the secretary of the Democratic Party in a letter published by La Repubblica. 

According to Schlein’s plan, the largest share of the funds – four billion – should go to businesses to help them reduce gas consumption in their production processes.

Two billion would instead be used to incentivise the replacement of gas boilers with electric heat pumps, whilst a further three billion would be allocated to the energy-efficiency refurbishment of social housing. The transport section would receive three billion for new underground lines, trams and electric buses, while the electricity networks section would get the remaining two billion to upgrade infrastructure, develop storage systems and install charging points. Finally, the Democratic Party secretary is calling for a review of electricity taxation – currently higher than that on gas – and says she is willing to enter into discussions with Palazzo Chigi. 

“In this constructive spirit, we would like to draw your attention to our proposal for a five-point plan, based largely on existing and fully implementable measures, which could contribute significantly to the country’s energy resilience,” writes the secretary. She adds: “Their implementation requires a strategic vision and the will to tackle the climate and energy crisis not only with emergency measures, but with policies capable of delivering lasting benefits for households, businesses and local communities.”