OREANDA-NEWS. Refusal to purchase Russian gas may lead to the loss of about 565 thousand jobs in Italy, the newspaper Corriere della Sera writes. According to her, in the event of a reduction in imports of blue fuel, the situation of energy-intensive enterprises, such as foundries, ceramics, glass and paper, will worsen. They face closure due to increased fuel and electricity prices. In addition, the number of citizens experiencing financial difficulties will increase.

Employment is set to lose 1.3 percentage points in 2022 and 1.2 percentage points in 2023, equivalent to about 293,000 jobs lost this year and 272,000 next year.

Under the worst-case scenario, the country's GDP growth in 2022 will be 0.6%, in 2023 - 0.4%, inflation will increase to 7.6%, experts say. According to them, to compensate for the loss of Italy's gross domestic product, €40 billion in 2022 and €40 billion in 2023 will be required.

Earlier, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said that his country would be guided by the instructions of the European Commission in matters of payment for Russian gas. In his opinion, it is important for the EC to decide whether paying for Russian gas in rubles is a circumvention of sanctions or not.