EU maritime strategy to focus on competitiveness, climate, defence
The European Commission’s upcoming Industrial Maritime Strategy lays out plans to favor EU-built vessels, mobilize billions in financing and counter China and other thirdcountry competitors, according to a draft communication dated Jan. 21.
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S unveils Maritime Action Plan to restore sea dominance
The Maritime Action Plan (MAP), published by the White House this month, begins with a historical premise: sea power has long been a cornerstone of US global leadership not only through naval strength, but through the ability to move goods across oceanic routes and safeguard critical commercial connectivity.
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Hapag-Lloyd Vessel Inaugurates Damietta Alliance Container Terminal in Egypt
Hapag-Lloyd’s Essen Express, made the inaugural call at Egypt’s Damietta Alliance Container Terminal (DACT) on February 14, 2026, Developed by a consortium comprising Contship Italia, EUROGATE, and Hapag-Lloyd, the $600 million facility boosts Egypt’s transhipment capacity near the Suez Canal, which is vital for India-Europe trade routes
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LIMES FESTIVAL: Italy between the U.S. and China
"The challenge of the century is between the United States and China Italy’s fate is bound to the ‘mare nostrum’, between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans However, there are two ‘Middle Oceans’: the Mediterranean and the South China Seaand both are vital for import and export.” Giorgio Cuscito
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NEWS REVIEW: Ro.Ro and Rail Freight Transport
TIR route links Türkiye, Iraq and Dubai in six days
The route combines road transport with a newly introduced RoRo shipping service between the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr and Dubai, operated by DP World, and is reported to reduce total transit time between Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates to around six days in both directions.
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ailway: one million tonnes in 100 days
The new line shortens transport routes, creates additional capacity and strengthens Austria’s position as a logistics hub In its first 100 days of operation, RCG has handled around 1,050 freight trains with more than 21,000 wagons on the new route, transporting over one million tonnes of goods.
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New global landscapes bring “dramatic” changes to multimodal transport
At Banca d’Italia’s workshop three of Italy’s most authoritative voices of the maritime sector discuss geopolitics and ports, trade tensions, overcapacity risks in terminal containers, and logistic efficiency.
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Rail freight flows from China shift in 2025
Rail freight transport between China and the European Union contracted again in 2025 after the temporary recovery of 2024 Data collected by Upply Market Insights indicate a total of 310,579 TEU, down 141% year on year, with declines in both directions Alongside economic factors, 2025 highlights operational risk linked to the concentration of European access points.
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FOCUS: India’s Trade Agreements
a’s renewed focus on free-trade agreements
New Delhi has been pursuing trade agreements with several partners, including the European Union – with which it signed a landmark deal on 27 January – the United Kingdom and the United States This signifies a move towards a more open economy and will boost India’s chances of achieving its longer-term development goals, though structural changes will also be necessary.
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EU-India FTA galvanizes shipping sector
This deal is different from past trade agreements because it links business, the environment, and digital progress in a way that will reshape the sector Shipping companies that follow the new sustainability and digital reporting rules will be better positioned to meet the demands of customers, investors, and regulators in an uncertain world.
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India-US trade deal: What industry leaders say about market access, exports
Business leaders hail the agreement. Harsh Goenka, Chairman of RPG Enterprises, called the deal the “father of all deals.” He said on X: “First the Mother of all deals with EU, now the Father of all deals with US great achievement by PM Modi government Patience pays.”
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US, EU trade deals could unlock $400 billion for India’s agrisector
ndia's agriculture sector has a significant new opportunity Trade agreements with the United States and the European Union open markets worth 400 billion US dollars. This presents a major chance for growth. Current agricultural exports to the US are 2.8 billion US dollars Overall exports are valued at 51-52 billion US dollars and are growing
Decode39 interviewed Italian Ambassador to India Antonio Bartoli to assess how the EU–India Free Trade Agreement fits into a broader strategic shift linking trade, economic security, and connectivity Beyond tariffs, the deal reflects India’s growing centrality in a fragmented global economy and Europe’s search for resilient partnerships, with Italy positioning itself as a key Indo-Mediterranean bridge through industry, ports, and security cooperation.
Full interview (EN)
Full interview (IT)
Antonio Bartoli has been Italy’s Ambassador to India and Nepal since July 29, 2024, a posting that coincides with a period of renewed momentum in India–Italy relations He is witnessing first-hand a phase of strategic deepening marked by stronger political alignment and expanding cooperation.
This reinvigoration was formalized last year with the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029, which places a strong emphasis on industrial cooperation, technology, and defense, alongside trade, connectivity, and security Bartoli’s role sits at the center of this evolving partnership, at the intersection of diplomacy, geoeconomics, and IndoMediterranean strategy
Indian Ambassador to Italy Vani Rao underscores how the strengthening of economic and strategic relations between India, the European Union, and the United States is opening significant opportunities for Italy as well From the EU–India free trade agreement to industrial cooperation and critical mineral supply chains, New Delhi sees Rome as a complementary long-term partner. Central to India’s vision remains the principle of strategic autonomy, coupled with diversified partnerships.
Full interview (EN)
Full interview (IT)
Vani Rao is India’s Ambassador to Italy and Permanent Representative to the Rome-based UN agencies since April 2024, a senior career diplomat with three decades of experience.
She previously led the Americas Division of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (2020–2024), overseeing relations with the United States, Canada and the Quad, placing her at the center of India–US strategic engagement. Her earlier roles include ambassador to Finland and Estonia and Deputy Chief of Mission in Israel, reflecting a career focused on key geopolitical and multilateral partnerships
FOCUS: Trieste news
Trieste is the new hub of Italy-Hungary European logistics
Italian Vice Minister for Transport Edoardo Rixi met Hungarian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and Commerce Levente Magyar to discuss connectivity, logistics and investments The Port of Trieste will be the centre of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
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Zunarelli law firm strengthens ties with Turkish road transport sector during Istanbul mission
During an institutional mission to Istanbul, Alberto Pasino, senior partner at Zunarelli Studio Legale Associato and member of the Trieste Summit Association’s board, met with senior representatives of UND (Uluslararası Nakliyeciler Derneği) and formally invited the association to join the Trieste Summit Advisory Board
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Port of Trieste: new momentum for Stazione di Servola site
Servola station project, a key railway hub for the development of the port in the area should be put out to tender shortly, but official confirmation is awaited from the Ministry of Transport The President of the Port System Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea, Marco Consalvo, seems optimistic in this regard and, during Salvini's visit, confirmed that there will be updates shortly.
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Trieste Port focuses on IMEC and infrastructure development
With Bill 71, which regulates logistics facilities from an urban planning perspective, FVG Region will control projects relating to logistics hubs The bill will be voted on at the end of February and provides for joint planning with local authorities to safeguard the territories, as explained by Regional Councillor for Infrastructure and Territory, Cristina Amirante.
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Trieste Summit at IMEC DIALOGUE in New Delhi: formal invitation to IMBF 2026 extended to USISPF COMPANIES
USISPF, in partnership with the IMEC Network and The Heritage Foundation, hosted a high-level IMEC (India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor) conversation in New Delhi.
USISPF hosted an Indo-Italian Parliamentary Roundtable on India–Europe trade, connectivity, and the FTA, attended by a visiting Italian parliamentarian delegation. This interaction was attended by Smt. Priyanka Chaturvedi, Honorable Member of Parliament; Shri Kartikeya Sharma, Honorable Member of Parliament; Honorable Antonio Giordano, Secretary General for the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR) and Member of the Chamber of Deputies; Honorable Deborah Bergamini, Deputy National Secretary of Forza Italia and Member of the Chamber of Deputies; and Senator Marco Dreosto, Secretary of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Senate of the Italian Republic
On 13 February, Trieste Summit Association participated in the important meeting ‘Italy Parliamentarians and Indian Business Leaders’ in New Delhi, organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) in cooperation with the IMEC Network and The Heritage Foundation The meeting was attended by Councillor Alberto Pasino and Chairman of the Advisory Board Kaush Arha, who moderated the meeting.
A high-profile event in the context of discussions on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the meeting was attended by a large group of leading international companies, as well as members of the Italian IMEC Interparliamentary Group recently established by the Italian Parliament: Italian MP Deborah Bergamini, Deputy National Secretary of Forza Italia; Italian MP Antonio Giordano, Secretary General of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR); and Italian Senator Marco Dreosto, Secretary of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee,
The Italian delegation together with Italy’s Ambassador to India Antonio Bartoli met with Indian parliamentarians Smt Priyanka Chaturvedi and Shri Kartikeya Sharma, to whom they confirmed Italy's willingness to act as a credible protagonist – within the framework of the Mattei Plan – in the implementation of IMEC, through the enhancement of Trieste and the vast Italian port network
The meeting highlighted the strategic convergence between Italy, the United States, and India to develop IMEC from a geopolitical project into concrete opportunities for connectivity, energy, and trade, with the Upper Adriatic in an advanced position as the Mediterranean hub of the corridor
At the end of the event, Pasino outlined Trieste Summit Association's upcoming initiatives, extending a formal invitation to USISPF companies to participate in the second edition of the Indo-Mediterranean Business Forum (IMBF), scheduled to take place on 3-4 December 2026 in Trieste
Trieste Summit thanks USISPF, IMEC Network and The Heritage Foundation for their hospitality and confirms its role as an operational facilitator between policymakers, businesses, and port institutions for the development of the IndoMediterranean region
ROBERTO MENIA Vice-President of the Senate Foreign Affairs/Defence Committee
INTERVIEW by
Francesco De Palo
“The African Agenda 2063 sets out objectives that are identical to those found in the platform envisaged by the Mattei Plan.
The convergence of goals is the real trump card of these two days in Ethiopia*: know-how, technology and investment are just some of the tools that Italy is putting in place
However, without the overall direction of the government, they would be meaningless: this is the main new development”
Full interview (IT)
VISION:
At the end of January 2024, Italy hosted an Africa summit, during which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni outlined the vision and first projects of the so-called “Mattei Plan”, shaping Italy’s strategy for Africa in the years to come
GOVERNANCE AND FUNDING:
The Plan’s initial funding is of 5.5 billion euros in grants, credits or guarantees from the National Climate Fund and from the development cooperation budget The Plan is coordinated by a dedicated Steering Committee at the Prime Minister Office that liaises with all key actors of the national cooperation system, such as ministries, CDP, the Italian Development Cooperation Agency (AICS), the Italian Trade Agency, the Italian Export Credit Agency, local authorities, but also civil society organisations, and the private sector
GOALS:
The Mattei Plan consists of nine pilot projects in Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, and Tunisia, focusing on five key pillars – education and training, agriculture, health, energy, and water The Plan aims to build a new form of partnership with African countries, via an “incremental approach”, where key goals and targets are co-designed by all partners
MATTEI PLAN
* Feb 13, 2026: Second Italy-Africa summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Feb 14, 2026: Giorgia Meloni's participation as guest of honour at the plenary meeting of the 39th ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union
FEBRUARY 26
MARCH
The International Propeller Clubs - Port of Trieste LE NUOVE VIE DEL COMMERCIO INTERNAZIONALE: RISCHI E OPPORTUNITÀ
Trieste (ITALY)
EUROPEAN OCEAN DAYS 2026
BRUSSELS (Belgium) 2-6
Blue economy and sustainable development
MARCH
5-7
MARCH
16
RAISINA DIALOGUE 2026
Saṃskāra: assertion - accommodation - advancement
NEW DELHI (India)
Trieste Summit Association PRIORITY ACTIONS: UPPER ADRIATIC INTEROPERABILITY & BALKAN CONNECTIVITY
TRIESTE (Italy)
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
MARCH
17
DEVELOPING AN INDO-MEDITERRANEAN PERSPECTIVE: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IMEC NETWORK
TRIESTE (Italy)
MAY
LIMASSOL (Cyprus) 21-22
EUROPEAN MARITIME DAY 2026 Blue economy and maritime economy
OCTOBER
MILAN (Italy) 6-9
FIATA CENTENNIAL CONGRESS Empowering Global Logistics
