The Meloni government and the challenge of ecological transition

ABSTRACT

During 2023, the Meloni government had to face the difficult management of the emergencies caused by the calamitous events that hit Emilia Romagna and Tuscany, which brought the long-lasting issue of hydrogeological instability back onto the public agenda. More generally, in the environmental and land protection fields, the government inherited the implementation of the measures associated with the strategic axis of the Ecological Transition, contained in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). However, the position of the government and that of the parliamentary majority not always fitted with the contents of the existing programming, nor with the policies promoted by the European institutions. By adopting a qualitative approach and combining original and secondary sources, in this work we will analyse the actions undertaken by the Meloni government in the environmental field in light of the “responsiveness-responsibility dilemma”. Particular attention will be paid to the points in continuity and to the breaks with the legacies of the past. The analysis shows how the government has progressively deviated from consolidated policy directions and planning, favouring the responsiveness pole to the detriment of responsibility.

KEYWORDS:

• Environmental policy
• ecological transition
• responsiveness
• responsibility

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. See the stenographic report of the session https://documenti.camera.it/leg19/resoconti/commissioni/stenografici/html/0810/audiz2/orecchio/2022/11/29/index_stenografico.0001.html.

2. For a reconstruction of the events that have occurred over the last thirty years, see La protezione civile nella storia: dal 1992 al 208, https://servizio-nazionale.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/storia/dal-1992-al-2018.

3. Legambiente: in 10 anni Italia sempre più colpita dagli eventi climatici, https://asvis.it/notizie/929–8333/legambiente-in-10-anni-italia-sempre-piu-ccata-dagli-eventi-climatici-estremi, 26 November 2020.

4. Dissesto idroecologico, a Lombardia e Emilia-Romagna la maggior parte dei fondi Pnrr, www.openpolis.it, 29 May 2023.

5. A. Cannella, Ecco come la legge urbanistica dell’Emilia-Romagna ha favorito il consumo del suolo, www.radiocittafujiko.it, 23 May 2023.

6. S. Benfenati, Troppo cemento in Emilia-Romagna, non solo cambiamento climatico. Parla Giordano (Ispra-Cnr), https://www.startmag.it/sanita/tanto-cemento-non-solo-cambiamento-climatico-parla-giordano-ispra-cnr, 19 May 2023.

7. Evento alluvionale Emila-Romagna 16–17 maggio 2023, Ispra report, www.isprambiente.gov.it.

8. See https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2693.

9. The picture has not changed even during 2023: Italians’ interest in the ‘environment-climate change’ issue remains lower than the average recorded among citizens of EU countries. See https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3052.

10. E. Rossi, Elezioni politiche, 25 settembre 2022 i principali motivi e temi driver di voto degli italiani, www.ipsos.com, 25 July 2022.

11. The NP22 is a Voting Advice Application developed by the European Governance and Politics Programme, active at the Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (European University Institute) and by the Observatory on Politics and Institutions of the University of Pisa. See: https://euandi2019.eui.eu/survey/it/navigatorepolitico2022.html.

12. In this contribution we will focus on the analysis of the three main parties of the coalition.

13. The author would like to thank Lavinia De Santis for her help with the NVIVO data analysis.

14. Le dichiarazioni programmatiche del governo Meloni, www.governo.it, 25 October 2022.

15. See https://www.corteconti.it/Home/associazione/UfficiCentraliRegionali/UffSezRiuniteSedeControllo/RelRendiconto

16. In addition to the Pniec, the following must be considered: the Air Pollution Control Programme (Pncia), the National Strategy for the Circular Economy, the National Strategy for Biodiversity and the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (Snss).

17. See Piano integrato per il clima e l’energia, www.mase.gov.it, June 2023.

18. P. Bonora, ‘«Ai talebani del green dico: soluzioni senza propaganda»’, il Giornale, 24 October 2022.

19. In mid-November, an inter-ministerial decree co-signed by the Minister of the Environment and the Minister for Institutional Affairs, established an Environment Commission with the task of carrying out a broad review of environmental matters.

20. The directive aims to act on 15% of the most energy-intensive buildings in each Member State. See https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/energy-performance-buildings-directive_en.

21. Il ministro degli esteri Antonio Tajani e la direttiva sulle case green, https://mediasetinfinity.mediaset.it, 16 March 2023.

22. See https://comunicazione.camera.it/archivio-prima-pagina/19–29269.

23. Meloni attacca il «fanatismo ultra-ecologista della sinistra»: il videomessaggio a Vox, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJBXJTVvlcE.

24. Imballaggi, Gava: «Proposta di regolamento Ue irricevibile, a rischio settore virtuoso dell’economia italiana», www.mase.gov.it, 24 October 2023.

25. Imballaggi: Pichetto-Gava, con posizione negoziale vincono scienza e buonsenso, www.mase.gov.it, 11 November 2023.

26. Piano nazionale di ripresa e resilienza (Pnrr) – Stato di attuazione misure Mase, www.mase.gov.it, December 2022.

27. Piano nazionale di ripresa e resilienza (Pnrr) – Stato di attuazione misure Mase. Focus sull’avanzamento di M&T 2023, www.mase.gov.it, July 2023.

28. Le modifiche al Pnrr rischiano di far perdere fondi a grandi città e sud, www.openpolis.it, 18 September 2023.

29. La Commissione approva il piano per la ripresa e la resilienza modificato dell’Italia dal 194 miliardi di € comprendente il capitolo dedicato a REPowerEU, https://italy.representation.ec.europa.eu/notizie-ed-eventi/notizie/la -commission-approves-the-modified-recovery-and-resilience-plan-of-Italy-from-194-billion-di-2023–11-24_it, 24 November 2023.

30. See https://comunicazione.camera.it/archivio-prima-pagina/19–30789.

31. Al Mase la prima riunione della Piattaforma nazionale per un nucleare sostenibile, www.mase.gov.it, 21 September 2023.

32. Pichetto Fratin torna sul nucleare:«Questo governo farà un deposito per le scorie in Italia», www.rainews.it, 7 November 2023.

33. Mobilità sostenibile: Pichetto, elettrico via del futuro ma non dogma senza alternativa, www.mase.gov.it, 22 September 2023.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Eugenio Pizzimenti

Eugenio Pizzimenti is Associate Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Sciences, University of Pisa. His research activities focus on party organizational change and sustainable development policies.