The price of gas does not stop. An unstoppable rise : it flies over 340 euros and stands a breath below 339 euros. And it quickly moves on to electricity prices. Break new records in Great Britain, Germany and France. In Italy it reaches the maximum of 870 euros per megawatt hour, even if it marks an average price of 713 euros, over 200 euros more than seven days before , with a jump of more than 25%.
A red alert that worries companies and workers, but also institutions. The government is at work: on the one hand for the emergency plan, on the other to evaluate new support, while a strong pressure comes from the social partners with the request for a decree.
The EU is also moving, and will soon convene an urgent meeting of energy ministers "to discuss emergency measures to tackle the energy situation," said Petr Fiala, president of the Czech Republic who leads the turn of the European semester. Meeting to be held by mid-September and in which the gas price ceiling and the possibility of releasing the price of electricity from the maximum price of gas will be discussed.
What is shaping up now appears to be a fiery autumn, the fuse that starts from gas is rapidly moving to electricity, and then to the prices of other goods. It burns household incomes and weighs on company accounts.
THE PARTIES
The issue obviously agitates the electoral campaign. Giuseppe Conte asks the government for "concrete answers". That is, "budget variance, gas price ceiling and taxation of extra profits", recalling that "there are 9 billion to be recovered". The M5S leader launches an appeal to the parties: "Let's go immediately to Parliament to support massive interventions, too much time has already been wasted".
Enrico Letta proposes "a ceiling on electricity bills" and the "doubling of the tax credit that allows businesses not to close and families to have immediate refreshment".
Carlo Calenda instead asks to suspend the electoral campaign to allow the prime minister to activate an "emergency plan" and warns the parties: "To ask Draghi to intervene and do it in a credible way, some premises are needed: declaration by Meloni and Letta in favor of Piombino regasification plant to be completed quickly, commitment not to veto Egyptian gas ".
Matteo Salvini relaunches nuclear power and warns: “If the price does not drop, the next government will have to ration electricity and gas. We need 30 billion for families and businesses, we are ready to vote on a measure ”.
But the last word, at least until 25 September, belongs to Mario Draghi.
(Unioneonline / L)
