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Probably the prospective head of government in Italy: Giorgia Meloni from the right-wing party Fratelli D'Italia
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Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
Italy's top politicians have criticized the federal government's measures in the fight against the energy crisis as going it alone and called for more cooperation in Europe.
"In view of the common threats of our time, we cannot split up according to the possibilities of our budgets," said Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
"In the next meetings of the European Council we must show unity, determination and solidarity - just as we did in supporting Ukraine."
The former head of the ECB once again campaigned for a "European response" to the energy crisis, among other things "to avoid dangerous and unjustified distortions of the internal market and to hold Europe together again in the face of the emergency".
200 billion euros
Berlin was also criticized by Giorgia Meloni, who won the election on Sunday with her radical right-wing Fratelli d'Italia and is therefore likely to replace Draghi as head of government in the next few weeks.
"In the epochal energy crisis, we need a quick response at European level to help companies and families," said Meloni at the special meeting of EU energy ministers on Friday (today).
"No member state can offer efficient and long-term solutions on its own without a common strategy, even those that seem less vulnerable from a financial point of view," said Meloni, who reportedly spoke to Draghi on the phone about the case.
The federal government announced an aid package worth up to 200 billion euros on Thursday.
It also includes a price brake for consumers.
In Italy and other EU countries there is criticism that not all countries have the means to finance comprehensive relief like Germany.
Italy, France and many other EU countries have called for a European gas price cap.
They want to introduce a maximum price for gas in European wholesale and for imports - Germany rejects that.
beb/dpa