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“The images of a Calabria on its knees, with farmers, breeders and lorry drivers on the road for days against high fuel prices, should shake consciences and call on politicians. Even more so because the government had the tools to avoid them and chose not to use them.
One of the hauliers in attendance told Enzo Bruno, group leader of Tridico, President of the Regional Council, that compared to 2025 his expenditure on fuel has increased by 62 thousand euros. And that’s enough to understand what we’re getting into.” This is what MEP Pasquale Tridico, head of the 5 Star Movement delegation in Brussels and former candidate for the presidency of the Calabria Region, declares.
“In April, Economy Minister Giorgetti had signed a letter to the European Commission with colleagues from Germany, Spain, Austria and Portugal to ask for a tax on extra energy profits. In August Brussels responded that each state could introduce it autonomously with a national law, but Deputy Prime Minister Tajani, claiming Forza Italia’s action, argued that extra profits “do not exist either in law or in the economy”.
In reality the data tells another story. According to Transport & Environment, in the first half of 2026 eight large oil groups recorded around 7.5 billion euros in extra profits on the European market, almost six of which in the second quarter alone, marked by the conflict in the Middle East.
Over a structural measure, the Meloni government – continues Tridico – preferred a voluntary cap of thirty days, with diesel at 2.19 euros per litre, accompanied by official thanks to Eni. If after seven months of skyrocketing prices a company can cut around 17 cents per liter and see its stock close 2% higher on the first day of application, it means that the margins are enormous. Equita analysts have estimated the cost of the operation at 85-100 million euros per month, compared to expected profits of around 10 billion, noting that the ceiling could serve to avoid the tax on extra profits. Also temporary is the 20% discount on agricultural fuel announced yesterday, reserved for Enilive customers only and expiring on October 31st. So why not introduce a structural price ceiling and taxation on excess profits?
We already put forward a concrete proposal in March, presenting it at the EU Tax Symposium in Brussels together with Joseph Stiglitz and bringing it to the plenary vote in April, where the amendment was rejected due to the lack of support from political forces that had verbally expressed their favour. We have resubmitted it and next week it will return to the vote in Strasbourg: we hope that those who say they defend desperate families and businesses will vote in favor this time.
Furthermore, with the arrival of the cold season, the difficulties risk worsening. Since 1 October the electricity bill for around three million vulnerable customers in greater protection has increased by 37.3%, while the European Commission has invited Member States to prepare measures to reduce energy consumption.
In Calabria, meanwhile, the farmers in the garrison asked for a discussion with the president of the Region, who preferred the Roman trip to present his book. Occhiuto, moreover, is also national deputy secretary of Forza Italia, the party that called for a stop to the tax on extra profits.
I express full solidarity to Calabrian farmers, breeders and hauliers – concludes the MEP – hoping that the government, in working on the budget, will adopt the measure allowed by Brussels already in August: a levy on the extra profits of energy companies to be allocated to agricultural diesel and to support the most vulnerable families. In the European Parliament we will continue to fight for this to become a structural measure, to protect those who produce and those who struggle to make ends meet.”