In IlFoglio.it, Carlo Stagnaro of the Istituto Bruno Leoni, part of the Epicenter network, argued that the European Commission’s decision to exclude certain energy-related spending from the deficit calculation is a calculated concession rather than a genuine victory for Italy. While the flexibility (up to 0.3% of GDP per year) responds to requests from the Meloni government, the resources may only be used for Green Deal-aligned investments aimed at energy resilience and reducing fossil fuel dependence, not for emergency support or broad relief measures. Stagnaro warned that the measure risks simply encouraging higher public spending and further increasing Italy’s already elevated public debt, reflecting the Commission’s broader tendency to treat increased expenditure as the universal solution.