(MENAFN- AzerNews) The EU Green Homes Directive cleared its final hurdle on Fridaywhen it was approved by ministers at the Ecofin Council despiteItaly and Hungary voting against and the Czech Republic, Croatia,Poland, Slovakia and Sweden abstaining, Azernews reports, citing ANSA.

The Directive sets new emissions-reduction targets forresidential and non-residential buildings in order to progressivelyreduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption in the EUbuilding sector and make it climate neutral by 2050.

"We voted against the Green Homes Directive," said EconomyMinister Giancarlo Giorgetti in Luxembourg.

"The question is - who pays? "Unfortunately we have experiencesin Italy that are well known".

That remark was a reference to the Superbonus scheme toincentivize energy-efficient building renovations, which wasapproved by a previous administration in 2020 and has cost theState so far around 122 billion euros, seriously limiting thecurrent government's room for manoeuvre.

"It is a beautiful, ambitious directive, but who pays in theend?" Giorgetti added.

"We have had experiences in Italy in which the lucky few rebuilttheir houses thanks to the money put in by the State, that is, allthe other Italians.

"We say that this is an experience that could teach ussomething".

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