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Acea S.p.A.

Acea

Acea is a leading Italian multi-utility group.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Paula Duarte Gaspar (Head of Unit Environment)

27 Jan 2026 · exchange on water related topics

Meeting with Nicola De Michelis (Director Regional and Urban Policy)

9 Dec 2025 · Water investments in Italy

Meeting with Roberto Viola (Director-General Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and

17 Nov 2025 · Acea’s strategic priorities and ongoing initiatives on energy infrastructure, digitalisation and emerging AI-related challenges

Meeting with Massimiliano Esposito (Head of Unit Research and Innovation)

12 Nov 2025 · Horizon Europe

Response to Proposal for a Regulation on Military Mobility

24 Oct 2025

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the European Commissions initiative on military mobility. ACEA fully recognises the growing relevance of military mobility in the broader context of European transport policy, infrastructure development, and defence readiness. We are committed to engaging constructively in discussions where civilian and military transport considerations intersect, particularly where such developments may have implications for the automotive industry. Military mobility is inherently a dual-use issue. The automotive sector plays a critical role in enabling both civilian and military logistics and is well positioned to support the EUs ambition to enhance defence preparedness and resilience. In this context, ACEA would like to highlight the following key areas of relevance: 1. Infrastructure reinforcement and dual-use investments ACEA supports the reinforcement of transport infrastructure to accommodate heavier and more complex vehicles, which benefits both civilian and military logistics. The identification of over 500 hotspot projects with 100 billion investment needs underscores the urgency of upgrading dual-use infrastructure. Automotive manufacturers can contribute expertise in modular vehicle design and logistics solutions to support these efforts. 2. Joint procurement and industrial collaboration Current national procurement processes are fragmented and slow. ACEA supports a more coordinated, pan-European approach to procurement, including joint tenders and harmonised specifications. Automotive OEMs can offer scalable production capacity, skilled workforce, and dual-use technologies. Public policy should facilitate cross-sector collaboration through EU and national platforms to match needs and capabilities. 3. Regulatory alignment and emergency frameworks Regulatory fragmentation across Member States hinders efficient cross-border movement of military vehicles and equipment. ACEA supports harmonisation of rules on vehicle weights, dimensions, and transport of dangerous goods. The creation of an EU-level emergency framework for military mobility is essential to ensure uninterrupted movement in crisis situations. This should include digitalisation of movement permissions and streamlined customs procedures. 4. Workforce transition and skills development The automotive sector is undergoing significant restructuring. ACEA encourages EU and national initiatives to support the upskilling and redeployment of workers, recognising that the highly technical and adaptable skill sets within the automotive industry could be valuable in supporting strategic sectors. Measures such as mobility incentives and retraining programmes, can help ensure that this skilled workforce remains an asset to Europes industrial base. 5. Technology and dual-use innovation Automotive companies are leaders in electrification, automation, and software-defined vehicles. These technologies have direct applications in military logistics, autonomous transport, and energy resilience. ACEA supports EU efforts to promote dual-use innovation and calls for expanded funding under the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the European Defence Innovation Scheme (EDIS). 6. Supply chain resilience The automotive and defence sectors share dependencies on critical raw materials. ACEA supports EU initiatives to strengthen supply chain resilience and encourages cooperation on sourcing and stockpiling strategic inputs. 7. Standardisation and certification ACEA calls for greater EU-NATO cooperation to implement NATO STANAGs (Standardization Agreements) and harmonise national certification procedures. This would facilitate interoperability and reduce barriers to cross-border collaboration. ACEA stands ready to contribute further as the topic evolves and as the implications for the automotive sector becomes clearer.
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Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – implementing EU funding with Member States and regions

23 Oct 2025

The European Commissions proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) represents the most significant EU budget reform in decades. It merges various EU managed programmes (i.e. LIFE, InvestEU, etc) into a single European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and fundamentally reshapes existing EU shared-management funds by consolidating ten separate funds covering cohesion, agriculture, fisheries, home affairs, and social policy into a single "European Fund for economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural development, fisheries and maritime policy, prosperity and security". These sweeping changes create both opportunities and risks. This short position paper prepared by the Italian multi-utility Acea highlights changes policymakers should consider during the legislative process to guarantee the following strategic priorities: 1. Ensure dedicated recognition of Services of General Interest (SGIs) in the next MFF 2. Ensure sufficient EU funding volumes which benefit regulated infrastructure players 3. Ensure regulatory and administrative simplification & predictability 4. Leverage EU funding with private capital and ensure cost efficient funding mechanisms 5. Increase focus on resilience, climate adaptation and resource efficiency 6. Ensure digitalisation & smart infrastructure support 7. Recognize water infrastructure as a strategic priority 8. Ensure eligibility for the waste-to-energy plants 9. Ensure eligibility for the energy interconnectors
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Response to EU’s next long-term budget (MFF) – EU funding for competitiveness

23 Oct 2025

The European Commissions proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) represents the most significant EU budget reform in decades. It merges various EU managed programmes (i.e. LIFE, InvestEU, etc) into a single European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and fundamentally reshapes existing EU shared-management funds by consolidating ten separate funds covering cohesion, agriculture, fisheries, home affairs, and social policy into a single "European Fund for economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural development, fisheries and maritime policy, prosperity and security". In particular, the ECF aims to consolidate 14 individual funding instruments from the current MFF into a single framework, serving as an investment capacity to strengthen European competitiveness in technologies and strategic sectors that are essential for the EUs competitiveness. This includes collaborative research, scale-up, innovation, deployment, and industrial and infrastructure production, as well as skills development. The fund supports projects and enterprises including SMEs, start-ups, larger companies, universities, and research institutions while acting as a leverage instrument that uses budgetary tools to attract private, institutional, and national investments. These sweeping changes create both opportunities and risks. This short position paper prepared by the Italian multi-utility Acea highlights changes policymakers should consider during the legislative process to guarantee the following strategic priorities: 1. Ensure dedicated recognition of Services of General Interest (SGIs) in the next MFF 2. Ensure sufficient EU funding volumes which benefit regulated infrastructure players 3. Ensure regulatory and administrative simplification & predictability 4. Leverage EU funding with private capital and ensure cost efficient funding mechanisms 5. Increase focus on resilience, climate adaptation and resource efficiency 6. Ensure digitalisation & smart infrastructure support 7. Recognize water infrastructure as a strategic priority 8. Ensure eligibility for the waste-to-energy plants 9. Ensure eligibility for the energy interconnectors 10. Ensure development of local energy communities support under the ECF 11. Introduce contracts for difference and simplify permitting under the ECF 12. Reserve a specific portion of the ECF budget exclusively for LIFE projects 13. Encourage cross-sectoral projects under the ECF
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Meeting with Gabriele Giudice (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto), Mirka Janda (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto)

15 Oct 2025 · Water services and environmental aspects.

Meeting with Stefano Soro (Head of Unit Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)

14 Oct 2025 · First touchpoint on relevant policy issues and ACEA SpA business operations.

Meeting with Agnese Papadia (Cabinet of Commissioner Dan Jørgensen), Kamil Talbi (Cabinet of Commissioner Dan Jørgensen)

1 Oct 2025 · Grids, permitting, research in the energy field

Meeting with Marie Donnay (Director Structural Reform Support)

1 Oct 2025 · Issues related to the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the associated perspectives for the water sector.

Response to Roadmap towards Nature Credits

30 Sept 2025

The path outlined in the roadmap to Nature Credits recognizes the central role of nature for economic and environmental resilience, with a focus on water ecosystems. Addressing the challenges that the protection of biodiversity and natural ecosystems pose today requires a collective effort and an ambitious roadmap. The achievement of truly sustainable development passes through concrete actions to protect, restore and enhance ecosystems, in balance with human activities. In this context, public funds and private investments represent fundamental and complementary levers, capable of supporting the ecological transition and amplifying the level of investments in favor of nature. The Nature Credits represent a significant step towards the creation of financial and regulatory instruments capable of enhancing natural capital, stimulating environmental investments and supporting the ecological transition. However, to make this tool effectively operational and inclusive, some reflections are presented below. ACEA could make a decisive contribution to the achievement of Nature Credits through interventions that produce measurable and lasting environmental benefits. In particular, it would be appropriate for the future discipline of Nature Credits to recognize and enhance the following areas of intervention as priorities: the reuse of water resources and the reduction of network losses; advanced wastewater management, with a focus on contaminant reduction and nutrient recovery; advanced drinking water management (interventions on PFAS, removal of algae, protection of springs/aquifers); the reclamation and restoration of contaminated sites, including in urban areas; the self-production of renewable energy from water cycles. To maximize the effectiveness of Nature Credits, it is crucial to ensure access to a wide and diverse audience of entities, regardless of their size or core business. Even industrial entities or infrastructure managers operating in sectors that are not specifically environmental can generate credits if they carry out interventions consistent with the principles of protection and enhancement of nature. To this end, it would also be advisable to consider extraordinary maintenance or plant adaptation interventions admissible, where they produce additional and lasting environmental effects. Similarly, short-term or small-scale interventions should also be recognized, as long as they are supported by evidence of positive impact. To encourage effective participation in the Nature Credits market, it would be advisable to: encourage the use of natural and biodegradable materials in restoration and conservation projects, discouraging the use of synthetic or high environmental impact solutions; make Nature Credits cumulative with other environmental public finance instruments, provided that there is no double counting; promote the integration between the management plans of public entities and biodiversity restoration objectives, for example through public-private partnerships. In addition, it is essential that the creation of a Nature Credits market does not become a pretext for reducing public spending on biodiversity protection. The credits must be considered complementary, not a substitute, for public commitments already undertaken or that will be undertaken at European and national level. To conclude, one of the further possible obstacles to the development of a fair and transparent Nature Credits market is represented by the high transaction costs related to the certification, verification, registration and exchange of credits. Procedures should be simplified, requirements standardised and digital platforms should be made available to support them.
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Meeting with Joan Canton (Head of Unit Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)

26 Jun 2025 · Exchange on the preparation of the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act in relation to the automotive industry

Response to Policy agenda for cities

26 May 2025

See the attached document
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Meeting with Jozef Síkela (Commissioner) and

24 Mar 2025 · Global Gateway

Meeting with Jessika Roswall (Commissioner) and

20 Mar 2025 · Water

Response to European Water Resilience Strategy

3 Mar 2025

Water resilience and security are poised to become pivotal determinants of economic development, serving as fundamental enablers of equitable participation in global economic competition. In alignment with Aceas strategic vision (Water security: How to ensure access to water in a changing world | World Economic Forum), effective solutions should be anchored in four key levers (4 Rs: Rules, Regulatory, Remedies, and Resources), carefully adapted to the unique geographic, climatic, and morphological characteristics of each economy.
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