ITALY PERSPECTIVE

Rome is living the energy crisis with the urgency of a country that has launched a national plan against 'caro energia' -- expensive energy. ANSA detailed the European plan: a new state-aid framework for the most exposed sectors, better coordination on gas and oil reserves, energy vouchers for families, and reduced electricity excise taxes for vulnerable households. The Italian term is revealing: not 'jet fuel crisis' but 'caro energia' -- expensive energy -- a phrase that connects price directly to the pain of the wallet. Italy is already under the EU's excessive deficit procedure, which limits its ability to subsidize fuel as aggressively as France. The Local Italy covered the EU plan with the same article as its German and Spanish editions, noting that Commissioner Tzitzikostas admitted stocks were 'under pressure.' For Italy, the jet fuel crisis is another floor added to an already tottering tower of budget constraints: excessive deficit, Ukraine support, post-Covid recovery plan, and now energy subsidies. Each layer shrinks Meloni's room to maneuver as she tries to satisfy Brussels and protect Italian households at the same time.