The presentation conference of Italy’s new strategic document on the Arctic, entitled “Italian Arctic Policy. Italy and the Arctic: the values of cooperation in a rapidly transforming region”, took place on 16 January in Rome at Villa Madama.
The event featured addresses by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, and the Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, whose ministries contributed to the drafting of the document.
Representatives of the institutions, members of the Arctic Table, and representatives of the business community also participated.
Drafted in the course of 2025, the document highlighted the role played by Italy in the Arctic to date and outlined a strategic vision, together with a set of long-term objectives, aimed at strengthening Italy’s engagement in the region. This engagement was structured around three main pillars—security, scientific research, and economic development—and brought together the various components of Italy’s national system, with a view to ensuring a more effective and coherent Italian presence in the Arctic.
Key objectives included consolidating Italy’s role as a non-Arctic country with an interest in the region; contributing to the preservation of the Arctic as an area of stability by preventing escalation dynamics and supporting multilateral mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation; strengthening Euro-Atlantic collective security in line with NATO and EU commitments and within an integrated vision of the various strategic theatres; enhancing relations, including at bilateral level, with the European Arctic countries (Denmark/Faroe Islands/Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), while supporting the European Union’s growing engagement on Arctic issues; strengthening Italian scientific research in the Arctic; and seizing emerging economic opportunities in the region for the benefit of Italian companies.
The new strategic document, adopted ten years after the first, updated Italy’s Arctic policy in light of the region’s growing global relevance.
