The green transition must be carried out properly and within a timeline that does not jeopardize European competitiveness, stated Roberto Musneci, President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania.

“One of the key points of the Draghi Report is that, in the new context, the transition to green energy can be either a major opportunity or a major mistake. Additionally, if we base our future growth on cheap subsidized equipment, it will be another mistake,” Musneci said at the conference “Digitalization and Energy Efficiency – Bucharest” organised by Energynomics together with the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania – CCIpR.

Regardless of the war in Ukraine and broader global political events, Musneci stressed that Europe can no longer rely on cheap energy. He pointed out that industrial energy prices in the United States are four to five times lower than the average in Europe, creating a severe competitive disadvantage. He also highlighted the failure of Europe and Romania’s policy of relying on cheap Russian energy.

“It is easy to call it a failure in hindsight, but it is now a well-accepted concept that we made a major strategic mistake by basing our growth strategy in Europe on cheap Russian oil and gas,” he stated.

Musneci further noted that while every new energy project incorporates an element of digitalization, this shift presents three main challenges: cybersecurity, financing, and education.

The conference “Digitalization and Energy Efficiency – Bucharest” was organised by Energynomics together with the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania – CCIpR, with the support of our partners: Bonatti, Datacor, Elektra Renewable Support, Elvo, Enexus Renewable Energy, Generali, HBI Real Estate, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Keno Energy, Personnel Select, Polytrade Global, Prime Batteries Technology, Prysmian, Schneider Electric, SolarX Power, UniCredit Bank, VARD, WALDEVAR Energy, WEBUS 4 Energy.