Overview
- The Council of Ministers approved a decree on Friday that prolongs the temporary excise cut until about 8 June and keeps the reductions of €0.20 per litre on diesel and €0.05 per litre on gasoline.
- The government allocated €300 million in tax credits for the road‑haulage sector, combining €100 million previously committed with €200 million of new funds to compensate lost excise reimbursements.
- Transport measures shorten the excise reimbursement window from 60 to 30 days and allow a one‑month suspension of certain tax payments to ease hauliers' cash flow.
- Following the government meeting, major transport associations suspended a planned 25–29 May strike, and the decree also includes targeted credits for farmers and a permanent transport consultation table.
- Rome plans to fund the package using extra VAT receipts, Antitrust fines and internal reallocations and is seeking EU approval to widen a bridge loan for Ex Ilva under available fiscal flexibility of up to about €380 million.