The Italian government will introduce measures aimed at boosting domestic oil and natural gas production, Industry Minister Claudio Scajola said Wednesday.
The current regulation limits domestic production and "this stalled situation can no longer be tolerated," said Scajola in a video conference at the annual meeting in Rome of Italy's oil companies' association, Unione Petrolifera.
Scajola said some measures will be introduced at Wednesday's cabinet meeting, scheduled to start at around 1530 GMT.
Italy's domestic hydrocarbon output has been declining in recent years as existing fields mature and opposition from local governments bloc new exploration.