"Self-destruction"

Meloni wants to “correct” the EU’s Green Deal

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: "Have the courage to say what doesn't work"(Bild: APA/AP)

Italy's head of government Giorgia Meloni laments the "self-destruction" of the European economy and wants to "correct" the EU's Green Deal.

"People who are friends of Europe must have the courage to say what is not working", said Meloni in a speech to the Confindustria industrialists' association in Rome on Wednesday. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the government's "commitment to correct this decision".

The European automotive industry is in crisis, with massive job cuts in many places. This is leading to angry protests (pictured in front of the Audi plant in Brussels).(Bild: APA/AFP/Belga/JONAS ROOSENS)

"The challenge of the ecological transition cannot mean destroying thousands of jobs and dismantling entire branches of industry that create wealth and employment. Phasing out internal combustion engines by 2035, in just over a decade, is one of the clearest examples of this self-defeating approach," Meloni continued.

"The decision has been made to forcibly switch to a technology that is electric, for which we do not have the raw materials, we do not control the value chains, demand is relatively low, the price is prohibitive for most people and European production capacities are insufficient," the Prime Minister added.

Trade union: 70,000 jobs at risk due to combustion engine phase-out
Prior to this, the head of the industry association Confindustria, Emanuele Orsini, stated that the Green Deal was full of mistakes that would put European industry at risk. "Decarbonization at the price of deindustrialization is a debacle," warned Orsini.

According to trade unions, around 70,000 jobs are at risk in Italy due to the ban on combustion engines in new cars from 2035. According to the industry association Anfia, the automotive industry in Italy, which is still largely focused on traditional combustion engine technology, directly or indirectly employs more than 270,000 people and generates more than five percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Sales of fully electric cars in Italy fell by 27 percent last year and accounted for just 3.7 percent of total new registrations.