Italy: the (courageous) gas policy of PM Mario Monti
The technician Italian PM made Italy a more European country both in economy and in energy policies. The support of TAP pipeline the key decision to foster Italian position in the EU.
13 months of a technician government called to save Italy from economic default came to the end last 12/22. Italian PM Mario Monti, a technician and former EU Commissioner, dismissed after the Italian parliament approved a 2013 budget and a stability law.
PM Monti 's decision has been provoked after right wing PDL party's leader Silvio Berlusconi retired the support to the technician government.
In November 2012, Mario Monti, supported by PDL, the Democratic Party and the centrist UDC party, has been appointed as the PM by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano to solve a problematic economic situation let by Berlusconi's government.
In addition to measures to give back Italy a good international reputation, Monti's government has given an important new direction to Italy's energy policy, moving from the openly pro-Russian position of Berlusconi's previous government to a more pro-European one.
In Semptember 2012, the Minister of the economic development in Monti's government Corrado Passera officially supported the Trans Adriatic Pipeline - TAP, signing a document in New York together with the governments of Greece and Albania.
TAP is one of the pipelines planed to carry Azerbaijani gas directly to Italy from the border between Turkey and Greece via Albania. TAP responds to the European Commission energy policy, which aims to import in Europe Azerbaijani gas in order to decrease the EU energy dependence on Russia.
In March 2012, Monti seemed to confirm the traditional Italian pro-Russian energy policy when, during a visit in Moscow, he declared that Southstream pipeline's realization responds to Italian national interest.
Southstream is a political project planed by the Kremlin to deliver 63 bcm of Russian gas to Europe in order to increase Europe's dependence on Russia's gas supplies, which nowadays cover the 40% of EU total energy need.
The main Southstream political supporter in Italy is former PM Berlusconi, who personally conceived the pipeline together with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In addition to Southstream, the energy cooperation between Putin and Berlusconi started in2005, when the Italian PM attended the open ceremony of Blue Stream: a pipeline planed by Russia to deliver Russia's gas to Turkey.
In addition to Berlusconi's personal position, the pro-Russian energy policy is endorsed also by powerful national energy concern ENI, which signed several contracts with Russian national gas major Gazprom despite of their clear inconvenience for Italian economy and energy independence.
Monti's government have had not only the capacity to allow the permanence of Italy in Europe, but also to break a traditional pro-Russian and anti-European energy policy.
By the support to TAP pipeline's realization, PM Monti supported the possibility to make Italy the EU hub of Azerbaijan gas supplies: this will foster Italy's political position in Europe and will create job places in a country devastated by the economic recession.
After Monti's government experience, it's not yet clear what will be Italy's situation after next February's early parliamentary election.
Monti declared he won't candidate, but he did not reject the possibility to lead again the Italian government.
The UDC party, together with other centrist political forces as FLI party and the businessman Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo's Civic List for Italy supported the possibility to renew PM Monti's mandate.
The favorite by all opinion polls centre-left coalition will present as the Italian PM candidate the Democratic Party's national secretary Pierluigi Bersani: a former Minister of the economic development, who in 2006 opened to Gazprom the possibility to control Italy's Gas Transportation System.
It will be better for Italian energy independence and Italy's national security, that next Italian PM will follow not only Monti's political agenda in economy, but also the technician PM's energy policy.
Italy should become a European country not only in economy, but also in what concern gas and energy, avoiding all kind of personal agreement - as the Putin-Berlusconi's ones - and sectarian energy policy - as the decision which has been taken by ENI in last years.
Matteo Cazzulani
Freelance Journalist
m.cazzulani@gazeta.pl
http://matteocazzulani.wordpress.com
http://matteocazzulaniinternational.wordpress.com
