The outcome of the meeting of energy ministers today in Brussels is a foregone conclusion. Germany has already won its victory, as announced on Saturday by EU Environment Commissioner Frans Timmermans, has been granted exemption for synthetic fuels (e-fuels). The derogation for biofuels requested by Italy does not pass.

Meanwhile, Washington and Tokyo sign an agreement on trade in minerals essential for the production of batteries and to strengthen supply chains in a sector dominated by China. And the European Parliament has announced with the Council that a first agreement has been found for the construction on the main road networks of the countries of the Union of electric and hydrogen charging stations for cars and heavy vehicles, they must be installed every 60 kilometers by 2026 on the main road axes indicated in the priority networks of European transport (Ten-T).

For Italy, the exclusion of biofuels from the EU regulation on sustainable mobility is not acceptable as it is not in line with the principle of technological neutrality. This position emerged yesterday from the Meeting of Deputy Permanent Representatives in the EU (Coreper I). Italy, together with other Member States, has reiterated its request to postpone the decision on the Regulation on stopping polluting cars. The Council's procedural rules would in fact provide for "a deadline of 14 days for the inclusion of a new item without discussion on the Council's agenda".

However, the Presidency confirmed the maintenance of the Regulation as an A item at today's Energy Council.

The issue is whether new vehicles with internal combustion engines can be registered even after 2035 if they comply with the emission neutral fuel standards. At the moment the opening is only planned for e-fuels (synthetic fuels) and not for biofuels (based on organic waste). While countries like Germany have focused on the former, Italy has invested in the latter, in particular with ENI. This is why our country is digging its heels in and asks to keep a window open before the final launch of the regulation.

Minister Pichetto Fratin: "We are trying to discuss for an opening"

"We are trying to discuss to have an opening on preamble 11, we will see. I'm in Brussels tomorrow." Thus the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin in his speech yesterday at the Merita conference, organized with the Matching Energies Foundation and the collaboration of Unioncamere, entitled From the Mediterranean the European energy future, speaking of the engine issue at EU level.

"If we talk about decarbonization compared to e-fuels, which will be there in ten years, we have the biofuels that are there immediately. It is appropriate to make an overall reasoning on how much they emit and how much they have absorbed in the previous phase since they use plants", he says.

He concludes: "We cannot hand over the e-fuel monopoly to Germany any more than we have to stand with our foot in the nuclear system that we cannot hand over totally to France."