WASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) (ITALPRESS) – The spread of conflicts in the Middle East, with the risk of an enlargement of the crisis to the Gulf and Iran, requires Europe and its allies a coordinated response on the industrial and energy level. This is the picture outlined by the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, on the edge of the meeting with the White House representative for energy leadership, Jarrod Agen.
“Unfortunately also the war that spreads and involves the neighbouring countries, subject to Iranian retaliation, makes us understand that in Europe we must act together and collaborate with our main ally, the United States, to guarantee security and supply,” Urso said, underlining that “in the world armed and commercial conflicts prevail today” and it is necessary to work to reduce them while strengthening the strategic autonomy of the continent. The minister also highlighted the economic impact of the crisis in the Gulf area, strategic for Italian exports: “We hope that the conflict in Iran and the Persian Gulf will be exhausted as soon as possible, also because it involves fundamental countries such as Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, markets growing for our exports and increasingly relevant as investors in Italy.”.
Despite the complex international context, Urso claimed the solidity of economic relations with Washington: “Despite the spread of conflicts and trade wars, Italy is in the field. Italian exports to the United States have grown even last year, with the best performance among the big European countries”. A framework that, according to the minister, confirms the attractiveness of the Italian production system and its centrality in the new global supply chains. “We have presented US administration and US companies with investment opportunities in our country, beginning with cooperation on critical raw materials, extraction, processing and recycling, areas where Italy is becoming a leader in Europe.”.
Critical raw materials were also at the centre of comparison with Agen. “This is strategic resources for our industries, from semiconductors to fertilizers. Today we depend too much from abroad, especially from China, and that is why we have started a national policy to strengthen autonomy, starting from the recycling of industrial waste”, Urso explained, recalling the candidacy of Italy to host one of the European strategic deposits for the storage of these resources.
The minister then underlined the role of Italy in the chain of semiconductors and digital, citing important investments in progress, including that of Silicon Box in Novara and the strengthening of plants in Catania. “We have become a privileged destination for digital investments,” he said, highlighting the position of the country in the field of supercalculum, with three of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, between Pavia, Genoa and Bologna.
In this context, the development of advanced data centers and technologies, from quantum mechanics to artificial intelligence is also included. “We have a special predisposition, thanks to our universities and technological infrastructure, and we are already attracting American investments in these areas,” he added.
Ample space has also been devoted to energy cooperation, particularly on new generation nuclear power. Urso reiterated the desire to relaunch nuclear energy production in Italy through the Small Modular Reactors (SMR): “This is small modular reactors, safe and feasible on an industrial scale, transportable and adaptable to the needs of the territories and enterprises. They can replace gas in electricity production and ensure low cost energy continuously.”.
The Minister stressed the interest of international partners, including the United States and France, to collaborate with Italy. “Today it is possible to return to producing nuclear energy in Italy, exclusively with new generation technologies, and also become exporters of these solutions in the Mediterranean and Europe”. At the same time, the development of renewable energies remains central, even with the structural limits of the Italian territory. “We must focus on all available technologies – photovoltaic, wind, geothermal – but only integration with nuclear can guarantee stable and continuous production,” he said.
During his visit to the United States, Urso also addressed the theme of spatial cooperation, called “decisive”. In particular, he announced the signing of a declaration of intent with NASA for the realization in Turin of the first housing module for a permanent lunar station.
“The house of astronauts on the Moon will be made in Italy, demonstrating a technological capacity that everyone recognizes us today,” he said. Returning to the meeting with Agen, the minister reiterated how critical raw materials are today “at the centre of industrial strategies and global economic security”. The shared goal is to strengthen cooperation between Italy and the United States to make the chains of value safer and resilient, even in the light of geopolitical tensions.
Urso also wanted a rapid finalization of the Memorandum between the United States and the European Commission, considered a key tool for strengthening transatlantic collaboration.
In this context, Italy intends to immediately promote synergies between Italian and American companies, also in third countries, contributing to the strategic autonomy of the West.
The Washington meeting is thus part of a broader strategy of strengthening economic relations between the two sides of the Atlantic, in a global context increasingly marked by geopolitical challenges, technological transformations and industrial competition.
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(ITALPRESS).
