Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has sent a letter to Ursula von der Leyen demanding that the energy crisis be addressed with the same urgency as military spending. She proposes relaxing fiscal rules to ease the burden on households and industries hit by rising costs. Her argument is clear: energy security must be a strategic European pillar, on the same level as defense.
The technical dilemma of the European power grid ⚡
Meloni's proposal clashes with the technical reality of a fragmented electrical infrastructure. The integration of renewables requires storage systems and a robust interconnection network, something that is still far from being achieved. Without coordinated investment in large-scale batteries and digitalization of the grid to manage demand peaks, any fiscal flexibility will be a patch on a broken pipe. The urgency is real, but technical planning is slow.
Brussels, between missiles and plugs 🔌
If the EU treats energy like defense, we might soon see a Eurofighter refueling at a gas station or armored tanks charging at a charging point. Meloni's idea sounds good: moving money around like a game of musical chairs. But while ministers debate, bills go up, and industrialists dream that, at least, war will be declared on them so they can get priority.