New aid for around four million Italian families. It is one of the most important measures of the Social Climate Plan prepared by the government to protect the most vulnerable households from the energy increases that could accompany the entry into operation of Ets2, the new European emissions market destined to also involve heating and transport.
The Council of Ministers examined on August 4th the document which is worth a total of 9.3 billion euros: seven billion should come from the European Social Climate Fund and another 2.3 billion from national co-financing.
The new “automatic” bonus
The new support called Energy Plus Bonus is scheduled for the period 2028-2031 and has a total of approximately 1.3 billion euros. It is intended for families with ISEE up to 25 thousand euros and according to the estimates underlying the Plan it could concern around four million families every year. The measure should work in a similar way to the current social bonus: the contribution will be automatically recognized in the electricity bill, without the need to submit a specific application every year, as long as the necessary ISEE data is available.
The amount should not be the same for everyone: the Plan also provides for a modulation based on the climatic zone of residence, because a family that lives in an area with harsh winters normally has very different heating consumption compared to those who live in the warmest areas of the country. In practice we are talking about around 81 euros per family per year.
The transport bonus
There is also a “Mobility Account”, i.e. a wallet intended for people with ISEE up to 20,000 euros which can be used for services such as local public transport, trains, taxis and NCC and shared mobility. The expected amounts are divided into several bands depending on the vulnerability index and can reach up to 400 euros per year.
| Criterion | Condition | Points |
| ISEE | up to €10,000 | 60 |
| €10,001–15,000 | 45 | |
| €15,001–20,000 | 25 | |
| over €20,000 | excluding | |
| Distance from home to work/study | up to 10 km | 5 |
| over 10 and up to 30 km | 10 | |
| over 30 km | 20 | |
| Previous use of LPT | recent and certifiable monthly or annual subscription | +10 |
| Car in the family unit | no cars available | +10 |
| Disability / caregiver / ongoing care | person with certified disability; caregiver of a person with a disability; or continuous health treatments that require frequent travel | 100 points directly |
The amounts will be 400 euros per year depending on the vulnerability index equal to or greater than 80; 200 euros between 55 and 79 points; 100 euros between 35 and 54.
The new European giant carbon tax
The reason why Europe is financing this aid is called ETS2, the new European emissions trading system, separate from the ETS already used for industry and energy production. ETS2 will become fully operational in 2028 and will include emissions from fuels used in buildings, road transport and some other sectors.
The Commission considers it plausible to start the “tax” at around 46 euros per ton of CO₂ to reach around 69 euros in 2030: we are talking about 11 cents more on petrol and 13 on diesel. For gas and heating fuels, the percentage increase in prices could vary greatly between states, approximately between 10 and 30%.
Families will not physically have to purchase CO2 quotas. The obligation will fall upstream on fuel suppliers, who will have to purchase sufficient permits to cover the emissions associated with the products placed on the market. The problem is that that cost can be transferred, at least in part, to the final prices.
In concrete terms, it means that Ets2 can translate into an increase in the cost of fuel for cars and fossil fuels used to heat homes, such as gas.
| ETS2 price | Gas | Diesel | Gas for heating |
| €46/t CO₂ | +10.7 cents/litre | +12.1 cents/litre | +9.0 cents/Smc |
| €69/t CO₂ | +16.1 cents/litre | +18.2 cents/litre | +13.5 cents/Smc |
| €100/t CO₂ | +23.3 cents/litre | +26.4 cents/litre | +19.6 cents/Smc |
According to an initial estimate drawn up by The Vermilion based on data from the EU commission, a family with gas heating and a car could spend around 180 euros more per year at the start of Ets2 and over 250 euros with the CO₂ price levels assumed for 2030. For a family with two cars and high gas consumption the increase could approach 400 euros per year. Obviously, a family that heats their home with a heat pump and travels by electric car is essentially exempt from the direct impact of Ets2.
Precisely to limit the impact on the most vulnerable citizens, the Social Climate Fund was established. The European Commission expressly indicates support for vulnerable families, micro-enterprises and people experiencing energy or transport poverty among the objectives of the fund.
There won’t just be bonuses
However, the Italian plan does not only aim to reimburse part of the price increases. Of the 9.3 billion available, a significant portion will be used to try to reduce the root dependence on fossil fuels thanks to the energy requalification of public residential buildings, the efficiency of micro-enterprise properties, the electrification of domestic consumption and the strengthening of public transport.
| Measure | Who can benefit from it | How much/what does it offer | When |
| Energia Plus social bonus | Families with ISEE up to 25,000 euros and other requirements | Automatic discount on the bill, variable by climate zone | 2028-2031 |
| Individual mobility account | People with ISEE up to 20,000 euros, sorted according to a vulnerability index | 100, 200 or 400 euros per year for public transport | 2027-2032 |
| Free increase in meter power | Vulnerable families | Up to 100% of the costs to go, for example, from 3 to 4.5/6 kW | 2027-2032 |
| Redevelopment of public housing | Vulnerable families residing in affected ERP housing | Fixtures, heat pumps and other efficiency works | 2027-2032 |
| New transport services in disadvantaged areas | Residents in areas with greater transportation poverty | TPL, on-call services, shared mobility, hub | 2027-2032 |
| Helpdesks against energy poverty | Vulnerable families | Free support for bonuses, energy and mobility | progressively from 2027 |
This is the logic of the European Social Fund: direct income support can only be used as a temporary measure, while the main part of the resources must finance interventions capable of structurally lowering consumption and dependence on fossil fuels.