«The EU guarantees more flexibility to Italy»- Corriere.it

The Chamber of Deputies approved the motion presented with a majority in relation to the proposal for a European directive on “green houses”, that is, on the energy performance of buildings. The text, passed with 167 votes in favor and 123 against, commits the government “to adopt the initiatives within the competence of the competent European institutions in order to prevent the introduction of the discipline with a view to protecting Italy’s peculiarities and, therefore, guaranteeing our country the necessary flexibility to achieve more suitable energy saving objectives to its characteristics”.

The peculiarities for the Italian real estate heritage

The remaining documents submitted individually by each opposition party. Furthermore, the Chamber, at the request of Stefano Candiani (Lega), agreed on sending the approved text to the EU institutions. «The house of the Italians is sacred and it cannot be Europe that changes the rules – declares Riccardo Molinari, group leader of the League in the Chamber and first signatory of the motion -. This go-ahead commits the government to preventing the entry into force of the absurd green houses directive as part of the Fit for 55, it is an important first step. In fact, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the Italian building heritage. The League will do everything to ensure that Brussels is more flexible on this issue and does not transform the achievement of the goals energy saving goals in a cleaver for millions of Italians». The president of Confedilizia, Giorgio Spaziani, agrees: “The motion demolishes the proposal for a European directive on the energy efficiency of buildings in every respect, going so far as to define it as “a clear attack on the Italian economy and building stock”. that “it will have to be the object of the toughest opposition”, and committing the government to avoid its approval. It is a position that leaves no room for misunderstandings and which we hope will lead the Prime Minister to operate personally to achieve the objective indicated by our Parliament”.

What does the EU directive provide?

The latest text of the EU directive was approved by the European Parliament last February and sets three objectives in terms of energy for residential properties: the first is to achieve class E by 1 January 2030, while the second is class D by on January 1, 2033, for the purpose of achieve zero emissions for the entire building sector in 2050. An exception will be made for some homes: buildings of artistic value, historical ones, those of worship, second homes and those with an area of ​​less than 50 square meters. Furthermore, a derogation will be granted, valid at least until 2037 and which will be able to cover up to 22% of residential construction (which in Italy consists of 2.6 million buildings). The final version of the text will then specify the various cases, but in the meantime this allows the Member States to underline the reasons they deem valid for preventing or prolonging the jump in energy class.

Uniform energy classification

It is important to specify that each member country has its own energy classification and each one is different from the other. This means that the energy classes proposed at EU level will not necessarily correspond to those in force in Italy at the moment. The European Union, through this directive, intends standardize the energy performance of buildings in all states within a standard scalewhere «A» and «G» are the extremes: the first will represent zero-emission properties, while the second will be the worst class and this will include, as specified by Ciafran Cuffe, rapporteur of the European Parliament, 15% of most energy-intensive buildings in the Eurozone.

The 5 fake news

During the discussion in the classroom, Angelo Bonelli, co-spokesman of Green Europe and deputy of Avs (Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra, which voted against the motion), spoke, defining that of the right against the European directive «a policy of terror on the climate and on energy saving, based on fake news». He went on to underline what the opposition considers five fake news «to defend the status quo of those who are getting rich with the money of Italian families and businesses, such as energy companies which, with gas speculation, in the last year alone they have made 50 billion euro of extra profits». The first: «the directive on energy saving on homes is harmful for the Italian economy; the second is that it is a patrimonial property on the house». And again: «3. The houses of the Italians will not be able to be sold due to the obligation to renovate; 4. Buildings in Italy are too old to be renovated; 5. The renovations are too expensive and not a profitable investment.’ He then added that «we are asking for a structural plan for Italy that provides incentives for interventions in favor of families. We could create millions of jobs, generate wealth, drastically reduce the cost of energy bills and make our contribution to the fight against the climate crisis.