Three Italian MEPs from the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group have asked the European Commission to review the EU's environmental and industrial regulatory frameworks, warning that high energy costs and regulatory burdens are driving deindustrialisation. The written question, submitted on 22 May 2026, follows Electrolux's announcement of a restructuring plan involving around 1,700 layoffs in Italy, the closure of the Cerreto d'Esi facility, and major production cuts at the Porcia plant in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The MEPs argue that the Electrolux case highlights the shortcomings of EU industrial policy and the risk that the Union's regulatory framework penalises European producers, paving the way for delocalisation. They specifically point to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as an instrument that is supposed to safeguard competitiveness but is instead failing to prevent deindustrialisation.
The question contains two concrete asks. First, the MEPs want the Commission to check whether EU funding received by Electrolux in recent years for research, innovation, and industrial transition was conditional on protecting jobs and maintaining production capacity. Second, they call for a review of the EU's environmental and industrial regulatory frameworks to prevent further deindustrialisation in the European manufacturing sector.
The question reflects a policy orientation critical of the current EU regulatory approach, favouring reduced regulatory burden and lower energy costs to protect manufacturing jobs. The MEPs frame the issue as a contradiction between EU climate goals and industrial competitiveness, with workers and the manufacturing sector as the primary stakeholders impacted.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will signal whether it is open to revisiting the conditions attached to EU industrial funding and the broader regulatory framework affecting energy-intensive manufacturing.
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