The protest of hauliers and farmers against the high cost of fuel does not stop while the average price of diesel continues to skyrocket, reaching, according to data from the Ministry of Business, close to 2.3 euros per litre. An increase which, according to Codacons estimates, increases the average price of diesel by almost 40% more than last year. Trucks and heavy vehicles continue to guard the strategic hubs in Calabria, Sicily and Puglia. Minister Matteo Salvini has brought forward the meeting with the hauliers’ associations to Tuesday 20 October, but until then the protesters do not intend to give up. In the meantime, the effects of the mobilization are becoming increasingly severe: petrol and diesel stations running dry, supermarket shelves empty, roads paralysed.
The situation today
The protests triggered a chain of disruptions. The first effect is certainly the paralyzed roads, but the failure to deliver goods affects practically everyone. The number of fuel stations that are running out of gas is increasing and there are starting to be long queues at those that are still open. Supermarket warehouses and counters are starting to be half-empty, especially in the departments dedicated to fresh products such as fruit, vegetables, milk and meat.
At the same time, producers are left with stagnant goods, in the case of fresh products this means food destined to be largely thrown away.
In Sicily there is an additional problem. Anav Sicilia, the trade association that brings together traveler transport companies, is sounding the alarm: “The failure to deliver fuel is also starting to have consequences for our companies that provide the local public transport service. If, due to the blockage of trucks, the scheduled deliveries of fuel to company depots and refueling stations do not arrive between this weekend and the beginning of next week, the normal operation of scheduled services carried out by private individuals could be put at risk. If on Monday the companies will not be able to supply themselves with the fuel they remains will organize themselves to guarantee the minimum essential services dedicated to students and workers who must reach schools and workplaces in the early hours of the morning”.
Mediation
Faced with this situation, the government wants to speed up the process and defuse the protest before it can spread and paralyze the entire national territory. The “x” date is Tuesday 20th, when Salvini will meet a delegation of protesters but the real risk is that if the executive’s proposals are judged too “poor” the protest will go ahead.