Meeting at Palazzo Chigi between representatives of the government and the petrol station operators’ associations – Faib, Fegica, Figisc and Anisa – to discuss the high prices of the last two weeks and the strike that the associations have proclaimed for 25 and 26 January. For the government, the Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, the Business and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso and the Undersecretary of the Prime Minister Alfredo Mantovano were present.
The negotiation convinced the gas station attendants to “freeze” the strike even if the government will meet the trade unions again before the shutdown. The executive took note of the freezing of the strike and ensured the launch of a technical table on Tuesday 17. According to what was learned at the end of the meeting between the government delegation and the representatives of the distributors who called the strike, there is ground to work on to avoid the stop.
The note from the trade unions
«Appreciated the clarification received with the Government which restores an unequivocal truth: the managers have no responsibility for the increase in prices, nor for any alleged speculation mentioned. As far as the petrol stations’ organizations are concerned, the controversy ends here». This was affirmed in a joint statement by Faib, Fegica, Figisc/Anisa after the meeting with the Government, explaining that “a path is opening up that can lead to re-evaluating even the strike called for the end of the month, currently frozen albeit with the reservation for one its suspension according to the examination of the text of the decree once it has been issued».
government measures
On Tuesday, the Council of Ministers passed a decree on transparency which introduces the obligation for petrol stations to display the national average price, which will be processed daily by the Ministry of the Environment, in order to provide consumers with more information before choosing where to go refueling. The text also provides for sanctions for those who violate the provisions, which go as far as the temporary closure of the business in case of recidivism. In the decree, government sources explain, there will be no new automatic mechanism for intervention should the price of fuel at service stations rise again suddenly. The text refers to a rule contained in the 2008 budget law (article 1, paragraphs 290 and 291), which the executive reserves the right to revise, which allows excise duties to be lowered if VAT revenues increase and if the price exceeds 2 % compared to the average for the period and the value indicated in the Def.
“The government reserves the right to adopt measures to reduce excise duties on the basis of a provision which, as you will be able to see in the decree-law approved on 10 January 2023, will allow the government to take action in this sense in relation to the increase verified fuel prices», explained Minister Giorgetti during the question time in the Senate.
The owner of the MEF recalled: “The measures adopted by the previous government, which led to the reduction of excise duties on fuel, were adopted when their price had exceeded 2 euros per litre, price conditions very different from the current ones”. For this reason, he underlines, “the Government has not deemed it appropriate to re-propose the measures to reduce excise duties but to intervene with regulatory measures to improve price transparency and avoid speculation”.
The oppositions
However, the criticisms of the opposition continue. “The government that blames the gas station attendants for the increases decided by the government itself in the Budget law is a sign of how things work in Giorgia’s world: it combines damage and then spends the time blaming others,” the leader insists. of Italia Viva Matteo Renzi. While the governor of Emilia Romagna and candidate for the secretariat of the Democratic Party Stefano Bonaccini adds: «Giorgia Meloni has tried to explain her point of view to the parties. But he doesn’t have to explain it to us but to motorists who have the highest price in Europe ».
«I wouldn’t speak of disappointment with a government which has been in office for less than three months and which, in its first manoeuvre, had to deal with a serious energy crisis, allocating no less than two thirds of the funds available precisely to protect companies and families”. Thus, in an interview with Qn, the FI Senate leader Licia Ronzulli returns to the topic of cutting excise duties. “Forza Italia is the first to know that even more needs to be done, also to unblock the problem loans of construction companies – he adds – A first intervention in this sense, even if not decisive, is foreseen by the Aiuti quater decree. But we will continue to work to find effective solutions». which costs a billion a month,” he explains.
«The government will move from announcements to deeds by immediately lowering excise taxes on fuel. It is a necessary measure to contain inflation and to give life to transport companies, both for goods and for people. Necessary interventions therefore not to depress the economy in the interest of the country. Thus in a note Francesco Artusa, president of Sistema Trasporti, an association for the private transport of NCC and tourist buses.
«Our sector is among the hardest hit by expensive fuel, not enjoying excise tax relief. For this reason we renew the invitation to the Ministry of Transport to evaluate our proposal on professional fuel. We are confident that sooner or later, at MIT, someone will also start dealing with mobility and tourism», concludes Artusa.
«The measure on the transparency of fuel prices decided by the government is important and should also be extended to other sectors, including the banking sector. As regards, in particular, the price of petrol and diesel, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has given a clear indication: over the course of the legislature, as undersecretary Giovanbattista Fazzolari reiterated today in an interview, excise duties will be sterilised, even using the highest VAT revenue. These are the promises, we’ll see if the words turn into deeds». This was stated by the secretary general of Fabi, Lando Maria Sileoni, during the Mattino Cinque broadcast on Canale 5.
“We absolutely do not want to be a political tool for or against this government. We have been presenting various uneasiness for some time, because the distribution of energy in Italy needs a huge revision. The fact that we have been singled out as speculators has exacerbated the tone. For some time we are used to being branded by customers as those who maneuver the prices”. This was stated by Giuseppe Sperduto, president of Faib Confesercenti, before the start of the summit with the government at Palazzo Chigi on expensive fuel. “Now with this campaign underway – he added – we are even more pilloried by customers, this is not acceptable. We have been pointing out for some time that we do not have the possibility to manipulate prices”.