Tovalieri reminded the European Commission that in recent months, under the influence of inflation, the high cost of energy resources and the dynamics of events in Ukraine, many types of raw materials, including wood, have risen in price.
In Italy, wood pellet prices have tripled since 2021, she said, while they have remained “at a stable level” in the rest of Europe.
In this regard, she stressed that such price differences within the EU can create difficulties for consumers in an already “very difficult time”.
At the same time, the deputy noted that European producers of pellets run the risk of facing serious difficulties, because raw materials for pellets come to the EU from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
“Studies have shown that most of the pellets used in Europe are processed in the EU, but come from Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian wood producers.
Thus, the entire manufacturing sector and its workers are threatened with supply uncertainty and complex logistics problems,” Tovaglieri said.
She asked if the EC plans to provide support to pellet producers, and what tools could be used to eliminate differences in the price of pellets within the EU.
Earlier, the Czech MEP Tomasz Zdechovsky announced a rise in the cost of living in the EU due to a sharp rise in energy prices.