ROMA (ITALPRESS) – Italian companies continue to pay electricity almost twice as much as the European competitors, with an average cost of 114 euros per megawattora in the first ten months of 2025, against 87 euros in Germany, 65 of Spain and 61 of France. It is what emerges from the analysis of Unioncamere, the association that brings together the 60 Italian Chambers of Commerce.
“This gap puts us in a competitive disadvantage,” explains Andrea Prete, president of Unioncamere, interviewed by Claudio Brachino for the Italpress Economy television magazine.
“It’s the price paid for too many no that have been said. During the energy crisis we were the most exposed country because the one forced to import more”, says Prete, recalling some choices of the past, from the abandonment of nuclear after the post-Chernobyl referendum to the initial obstructism against the TAP gas pipeline from Azerbaijan.
The way to reduce costs passes by energy independence. “We must focus on renewables: wind, photovoltaic, hydroelectric, without disdaining nuclear power,” said the president. Unioncamere, together with the Ministry of the Environment, is promoting renewable energy communities (CER), consortia of economic activities, parishes and individuals that produce photovoltaic energy in defined areas. “We must use all the roofs of the huts possible, point on the offshore wind. Only the cost of energy can come down.”
But the energy emergency is not the only brake on development. The mismatch between demand and job offer costs Italy 44 billion GDP in 2024, with similar estimates for 2025. “Before Covid we thought about the problem of unemployment, now we do not find people who go to work,” says Prete. “46% of the profiles sought by enterprises are not found.”
The most sought-after figures are computer engineers, mechatronics, engineers and graduates in STEM subjects, but also intermediate figures as specialized maintainers in mechanics and electronics. “Who has a qualified profession can spend well on the market and companies try to retain talent,” the president points out.
The escape of brains to foreign countries is linked not only to salaries, but also to faster professional growth paths. “Our young talents abroad reach apical positions faster,” says Prete.
To support small businesses, Unioncamere has started chamber centres dedicated to innovative finance. “To date the only access to credit was the mortgage on the establishment or traditional credit,” the president explains. “We must educate companies to mini bonds, crowdfunding, other forms of funding. Sometimes the delivery rate counts more than the interest rate.”
The main demand for the chamber system remains bureaucratic simplification. “If we really deburocratize this country at zero cost we create a booster for businesses,” says Prete, citing the virtuous example of special economic zones where authorizations arrive in 30-45 days. “The northern companies ask us: why don’t you give us the same speed? We do not want economic incentives, we want speed in authorizations. This would change a lot of Italian economic life.”.
– Photo Italpress –
(ITALPRESS).
