Pietro De Leo March 20, 2022
«The threat is an inappropriate weapon of war, pure propaganda and without irreversible consequences. Do you actually know what I’m telling you? This is good news, with it we finally end our energy dependence on the dictator Putin». Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffè, economist, professor at Bocconi, takes stock of Il Tempo after threats to Italy by Alexei Paromov, director of the European Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Moscow says that if we continue along the path of sanctions, there will be irreversible consequences for Italy. According to Maffè, however, this is not the case.
But how, professor? There is the energy issue, and then there is the market share of our Made in Italy.
«Our exports to Russia are very limited, around 7 billion. A “zeropoint number” compared to GDP. Less luxury goods, more machines and pharmaceutical components. Then, of course, the Russians come to buy luxury in Italy, but the collapse of exports to Russia does not threaten the trade position. Other language for import ».
Energy issue, indeed.
“About 4344% of the gas we use comes from Russia, as does a good chunk of oil. But we were looking for it.”
What do you mean?
“In eight years, marked by the attack in Crimea and the crisis in Donbass, the sanctions should have brought about a change in policy in Italy. Because of this, this country must now stop playing Putin’s fifth column, a condition caused by the fault of many political forces that have preferred to rely on Russia. There are people who, over the years, have voted against the regasifiers that we need, against the exploitation of the fields. Energy policy is a serious matter, it must not be left to the incompetent».
Well then, what to do?
“Oil is on the market. It’s expensive today, yes, and it’s a problem, but we’re not at record prices because they’ve hit $100 a barrel in the past. But we must accelerate the energy transition towards renewables and stop playing nice souls about nuclear power, an attitude that is pointless. Nuclear power is not the best, but sometimes the best is the enemy of the good ».
You speak of a mediumterm scenario. But there is the immediate one, with repercussions if Russia blocked supplies.
‘Oil, I repeat, we would buy it elsewhere. Of course we would pay a little more. The gas has three different destinations. The first is for electricity, and theoretically we could get it from coal too, with all due respect to environmentalists. The most difficult obstacle is for the other two, industrial plants and domestic heating. So we should find the gas somewhere else. How? First of all, through the development of the recarburetor. And then, at this stage, Italy needs Europe through the RepowerEU plan for energy acceleration and transition, energy storage and redevelopment of supply sources. The situation is complex, but we have all the tools to structurally overcome this phase.”
