In Italy, fuel prices are skyrocketing and the Meloni government is searching for answers

Petrol prices have risen above €2,6 per litre in Milan and on several Italian highways, reigniting tensions over purchasing power. The government is considering a system of variable excise duties, while the opposition is demanding immediate action.

In Milan, a gas station in the city center was displaying a price of €2,6 per liter for gasoline on Saturday. On the A21 Turin-Piacenza, A4 Venice-Trieste, and A22 Brenner-Modena highways, as well as on the Milan-Brescia and Messina-Palermo routes, prices exceeding €2,7 per liter for diesel and €2,5 per liter for gasoline were recorded. In Rome, several stations reached €2,3 per liter.

These figures contrast sharply with the national averages published Sunday by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, headed by Adolfo Urso: at self-service stations on the regular road network, gasoline is priced at €1,981 per liter and diesel at €2,184. On the motorway network, the averages rise to €2,071 and €2,255 per liter, respectively.

The increase began on July 3, the date on which the excise tax reduction introduced by the government at the outbreak of the conflict between the United States and Iran ended. Since then, prices have continued to rise, fueling concerns among consumer groups.

Codacons estimates that Italians will spend €10,8 billion on fuel this year, nearly €2 billion more than in 2025. The association specifies that, compared to July 2025, Italians will spend an additional €841 million on gasoline and diesel in July alone. The CGIA research office in Mestre goes even further: in 2026, households and businesses will bear some €29 billion in additional costs for electricity, gas, and fuel, of which €13,6 billion will be attributable to fuel alone, representing a 20,4% increase compared to the previous year.

Faced with this situation, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Minister Urso are working on corrective measures. Among the options being considered is a system of variable excise duties: this mechanism would involve lowering fuel taxes based on the surplus VAT revenue generated by price increases. However, Urso clarified in an interview with Corriere della Sera that "to activate this mechanism, we must wait for the Ministry of Economy's calculations of the month's VAT surplus, which will only be available next week." He added that "for any other measures, additional funding will need to be found."

The minister also defended the price control system in force in Italy, stating that it is imitated by other countries and that thanks to it, Italian prices have increased less than elsewhere.

The opposition considers these responses insufficient. The Democratic Party secretary, Elly Schlein, directly addressed the Prime Minister: “Meloni should at least accept our proposal on mobile excise duties, which would allow for an immediate reduction in the price of gasoline and diesel. After all, those who outright promised to abolish excise duties, how can they now oppose this measure?” The leader of the Five Star Movement, Giuseppe Conte, called for “serious and swift” measures on social media, specifically mentioning the taxation of the super-profits of banks, energy giants, and the arms industry, as well as recourse to Europe to obtain “massive investments in an industrial and energy recovery strategy.”