In LaStampa.it, Serena Sileoni of the Istituto Bruno Leoni, part of the Epicenter network, warned that the European Commission’s decision to grant flexibility on energy-related spending risks becoming more than a one-off concession. While the measure responds to Italian requests and allows limited extra deficit spending for the energy transition, Sileoni argued that it signals a growing willingness by the Commission to accommodate national pressures rather than enforce fiscal discipline. She linked the decision to the broader debate on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, noting that Epicenter’s Alternative EU Budget study shows the proposed expansion of EU spending is politically understandable but inconsistent with the Union’s founding logic, raising democratic as well as fiscal concerns.