At a time when Europe is rediscovering the central importance of infrastructure as a factor in economic security and strategic autonomy, Italy too is called upon to reflect on how to strengthen its role in the enlarged European space.
It is with this in mind that I have tabled a motion for our country to consider joining the Three Seas Initiative (Three Seas Initiative – 3SI), a cooperation platform involving thirteen EU Member States located between the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Seas. The aim of the 3SI is to bridge the infrastructure gap along the north-south axis of the continent, with a particular focus on transport, energy, and digital technology.
For Italy, joining the 3SI would not represent a political choice, but rather a strengthening of its strategic interconnection with Central and Eastern Europe. In this sense, the Initiative should be seen as an integral part of a broader vision of the Global Mediterranean, understood as a strategic space connecting Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific, and as a functional link with the Atlantic and the Black Sea.
Within this architecture, Trieste plays a role of primary importance. Thanks to its rail links with Central Europe and its position on the Adriatic, the free port of Trieste is a natural junction between the north-south corridors of the 3SI and the major Euro-Mediterranean axes. This is where the strategic complementarity with the IMEC (India–Middle East–Europe Corridor) emerges.
The interconnection between the infrastructural depth of the 3SI and the global projection of the IMEC gives Europe – and Italy in particular – greater strategic depth, strengthening the resilience of value chains, energy security, and industrial competitiveness.
In this context, Italy can position itself not only as a Mediterranean terminal for global trade, but also as a hub connecting the European seas, the Atlantic, and the new Indo-Mediterranean routes. This role is consistent with the TEN-T networks, European priorities in terms of economic security, and the need to reduce vulnerability and strategic dependencies.
The motion I have presented aims to open a pragmatic and non-ideological reflection on this opportunity. Participating in the Three Seas Initiative would mean Italy contributing to a more interconnected, more resilient Europe that is better able to project stability along its strategic corridors.
At a time when global competition is increasingly focused on infrastructure, logistics, and energy, remaining outside the main continental connection projects is not a neutral choice. This is why Italy must carefully evaluate its position, bringing together the Adriatic, the Global Mediterranean, and European corridors.
