Over 650 speakers at the Trento Festival of Economics 2025

Great attention will be paid to the issues of data security, the defence of legality and the fight against corruption. On this front, the speeches by the Chief of Police, Director General of Public Security Vittorio Pisani, and the Commander General of the Carabinieri Corps Salvatore Luongo are particularly important. Also speaking will be Nunzia Ciardi, Deputy Director General of the National Cybersecurity Agency, former Milan Chief Prosecutor Francesco Greco, jurist and academic finance expert Paolo Bernasconi, Alessandra Dolci, Deputy Prosecutor of Milan, and Giovanni Maria Flick, President Emeritus of the Constitutional Court.

In the five panels on geopolitics in collaboration with Ispi-Istituto per gli studi di politica internazionale, entitled 'L'ora della verità' and dedicated to Europe, Trump, China, the Middle East, France and Germany, speakers with Ispi vice-president Paolo Magri will include Romano Prodi, University of Bologna, Giulio Tremonti, president of the Chamber's Foreign and EU Affairs Committee, Emma Marcegaglia, president and CEO of Marcegaglia Holding, and Alberto Forchielli, founding partner of Mindful capital partners. The meeting with Gad Lerner is instead dedicated to the future of Gaza.

Also at the centre of the Festival are the economic choices of the Old Continent between the USA and China. It will start with a discussion between Lilia Cavallari, President of the Parliamentary Budget Office, Marco Fortis, Vice-President of the Edison Foundation, Marcello Messori, European University Institute. Then it will be the turn of the in-depth discussion on 'Protectionism or Free Market' where Yao Yang, director China centre for economic research of Beijing, will speak among others. Two professors from the Chinese Communist Party School will take a look at Asian power, returning to Trento for the second time, taking part in the panel on "The role of the dollar and the internationalisation of the renminbi": Jianqi Chen, international institute of strategic studies of the party school of the CPC Central committee, and Ma Xiaofang, China central party school. Then 'The global industrial situation and cooperation between the US, China and Europe' will be analysed with Zhiyi He, principal expert of the Institute for global industry, Tsinghua University, while Wang Yang, director of big data for bio intelligence laboratory Hong Kong university of science and technology, will speak on the panel 'The Asian bet'.

"The identity trap: why the Europe model no longer works" is the focus of the discussion between economist Massimo Egidi and philosopher Sebastiano Maffettone and entrepreneur Antonio D'Amato, while the EU budget reform is the topic on which Marco Buti, European University Institute, and Giovanni Tria, University of Rome Tor Vergata, will discuss. Europe's voice will also be heard in the panel 'Competitiveness and solidarity: friends or foes' with Buti, Mario Nava, Director General DG structural reform support European Commission, Debora Revoltella, Director Economic Affairs Department European Investment Bank.

Made in Italy and Italy's export strategies are the topics on which Mario Andrea Vattani, Italy's Commissioner General for Expo 2025 Osaka, will speak live from Japan, discussing them with Francesco Canzonieri, CEO of Nextalia Sgr, and Fabrizio Lobasso, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Nine panels on artificial intelligence. The one with Father Paolo Benanti, chairman of the committee for artificial intelligence at the department for information and publishing of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, who will talk together with Giuliano Noci, pro-rector Politecnico di Milano, and Stefano Lucchini, visiting fellow centre for corporate reputation Oxford university, on the topic 'Artificial intelligence and man'. Archistar Carlo Ratti, director of the Massachusetts Institute of technology, senseable city lab, will illustrate how Ia shifts the boundaries of innovation in changing cities, discussing it with the rector of Luiss Guido Carli University Paolo Boccardelli. New weapons of artificial intelligence will be discussed by Michele Corradino, President of the Council of State and Pier Stefano Mannino, President of the Centre for Advanced Defence Studies (CASD). Another guest is Era Dabla - Norris, deputy director fiscal affairs department of the International Monetary Fund, who will explain 'Why the current model of artificial intelligence development may not be sustainable'. This will be followed by a panel discussion with Ulian Sharka, Ceo & Founder iGenius, and Isabelle Andrieu, co-founder of Translated. There will also be an in-depth discussion on Bologna as the European capital of artificial intelligence, introduced by Roberto Viola, Director General DG Connect, European Commission. And again, the new professions of Ia will be discussed.

Alberto Barachini, Undersecretary to the Prime Minister's Office with responsibility for information and publishing, Marco Trombetti, co-founder & Ceo of Translated, Gian Maria Gros-Pietro, President of Intesa Sanpaolo, Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli, Professor of History at the University of Berkeley and Silicon Valley pioneer, will discuss the enormous power of Big Tech and its weak European position.

Numerous entrepreneurs and great managers at the Festival. Such as Paolo Scaroni, president of Enel, in conversation with Davide Tabarelli, president and founder of Nomisma energia, on 'Europe's green deal at the test bench'. Andrea Illy, president of illycaffè, and Juliano Salgado, director and writer, son of the great photographer, will explain what the regenerative economy is and why Europe can become its leader. Emma Marcegaglia will speak on 'The economy in the new frontiers of the West'. Luigi Abete, president of the association of cultural and creative enterprises, will bring his vision on 'Relaunching manufacturing Europe'. Diana Bracco, president and CEO of the Bracco Group, will speak about 'Italian multinationals and competitiveness'. Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna, president and CEO Biagiotti Group, will discuss 'Businesses and governance choices' with Lorenzo Pellicioli; Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, president of the Caltagirone Group, will talk with Giulio Tremonti about 'Change or preservation', while Marco Tronchetti Provera, executive vice-president Pirelli, will speak about the new world disorder. Also confirmed is the presence of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, president of Telethon.

It should be noted that Giulio Tremonti and Romano Prodi will also be the protagonists of individual speeches. They will offer two different and original ways of seeing the world, as can already be guessed from the titles of their speeches: 'Easy times create weak men and big problems, difficult times create strong men and easy times' for Tremonti and 'Swimming in uncertainty' for Prodi.

As for financial topics, Abi president Antonio Patuelli will explain why Europe cannot exist without a banking union, while Consob president Paolo Savona will speak on 'The legitimisation of cryptocurrencies and risks for securities markets'. Donato Masciandaro, professor at Bocconi University and director of the MEF's Committee on Financial Education, will speak on "Hawks, doves and leopards: the new monetary policy routes of the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank".

Another constant theme at the Trento Festival is taxation: Lilia Cavallari, president of the Parliamentary Budget Office (Upb), Elbano De Nuccio, president of the National Council of Chartered Accountants and Accounting Experts, and Maurizio Leo, deputy minister of the Economy and Finance, will discuss 'Tax Reform: balance sheet and perspectives', while Vincenzo Carbone, director of the Revenue Agency, will explain how to manage controls and conflicts.

Among the representatives of the civil world and institutions who will speak are Edoardo Viganò, vice-chancellor Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences, Gelsomina Vigliotti, vice-president European Investment Bank, Matteo Zoppas, president Ice, Franco Bassanini, president Astrid Foundation, Marco Bentivogli, Base Italia coordinator, Tatiana Biagioni, president Italian labour lawyers, Giulio Biino, head of the National Council of Notaries, Vincenzo Boccia, past president Confindustria, Pierpaolo Bombardieri, secretary general of Uil, Gerardo Braggiotti, country advisor of Goldman Sachs, Alberto Brambilla, president of Centro studi e ricerche itinerari previdenziali, Renato Brunetta, president of Cnel, Maria Cannata, president of Mts, the Government Securities Market, Francesco Maria Chelli, number one at Istat, Enrico Credendino, chief of the Navy General Staff, Marta Dassù of the Aspen Institute, Rosario De Luca, president of the National Council of Labour Consultants, Federico Freni undersecretary for the economy and finance, Ian Gallienne, Ceo Group Bruxelles Lambert, Franco Gallo, former president of the Constitutional Court, Sylvie Goulard, former minister of the armed forces and former deputy governor of the Bank of France, Maurizio Landini, secretary general of CGIL, Filippo La Rosa, deputy director general for public and cultural diplomacy and central director for the promotion of Italian culture and language at Maeci, Antonino La Lumia, president of the Milan Bar Association, Ermete Realacci president of the Symbola Foundation, Marco Elio Rottigni, director general of Abi, Linda Laura Sabbadini, president of Women 2021, Gianluca Salvatori, secretary general of Euricse and the Social Italy Foundation, Giulio Sapelli, president of the Germozzi Foundation, Stefano Scarpetta, director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs OECD, Lando Sileoni, secretary general of Fabi, Maurizio Tarquini, director general of Confindustria, Francesco Ubertini, president of Cineca, Rosario Valastro, president of the Italian Red Cross, and Ambassador Armando Varricchio.

A large number of rectors and deans of universities and business schools were present in Trento: Elena Beccalli, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Max Bergami, dean Bologna business school, Francesco Billari, Università Bocconi di Milano, Paolo Boccardelli, Università Luiss Guido Carli, Rita Carisano, DG Luiss Guido Carli, Stefano Caselli, dean SDA Bocconi school of management, Flavio Deflorian, University of Trento, Anna Gervasoni, Liuc Università Cattaneo, Giuliano Noci, pro-rector Politecnico di Milano, Sabrina Nuti, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Paola Profeta, pro-rector for diversity, inclusion and sustainability Università Bocconi, Donatella Sciuto, Politecnico di Milano, as well as Franco Bernabé, president Università degli Studi di Trento, and Paola Severino, president School of Law Università Luiss.

Academics include Cinzia Alcidi (Centre for European Policy Studies), Angelo Federico Arcelli (Center for international governance innovation), Roberto Battiston (University of Trento), Roberto D'Alimonte, Veronica De Romanis, Marco Magnani and Sergio Fabbrini (Luiss Guido Carli), Elsa Fornero (University of Turin), Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño (IE University president), Donato Masciandaro and Fabrizio Onida (Bocconi), Martina Mazzotta (The Warburg Institute), Marcello Messori (European University Institute), Pietro Modiano (Gei business economist), Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol (European University Institute), Fabrizio Pregliasco (UniMi), Richard R. Robb (Columbia University), Marcello Signorelli (University of Perugia), Paola Subacchi (Sciences Po), Maristella Vicini (ceo Isea - Institute for Applied Economics Studies), Andrea Zoppini (University of Roma Tre). Francesco Billari, rector of Bocconi University, Gigi De Palo, president of the Fondazione per la natalità, Alessandro Rosina, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, will take the floor for the demography strand.

The appointments with the Sole 24 Ore's Pnrr Observatory are back (with a discussion between Maurizio Fugatti, president of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Arno Kompatscher, president of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Alto Adige on "Autonomies and nation-states" and with a speech by Francesco Greco, president of the National Forensic Council, on "Pnrr and justice: Bilancio delle riforme a un anno dalguardo'), then the Observatory on the energy and climate transition of the newspaper (with Guido Bortoni, president of CESI, former president of Arera, and Fabrizia Lapecorella, deputy secretary general of the OECD) and the analysis of the quality of life of children, young people and the elderly in the Italian provinces by the editorial staff of Il Sole 24 Ore.

The moderators of the events are also prominent. In addition to the 24 Ore Group journalists, Barbara Carfagna and Maria Latella will once again take the stage, followed by the editors Luigi Contu (Ansa), Luciano Fontana (Corriere della Sera), Andrea Malaguti (La Stampa), Agnese Pini (Quotidiano Nazionale), Guido Boffo (Il Messaggero), Mario Sechi (Libero), Stefano Stimamiglio (Famiglia Cristiana), Gian Marco Chiocci (TG1), Antonio Preziosi (TG2), Giuseppe De Bellis (Sky Tg 24), Giuseppe De Filippi (TG5), and the journalists Ferruccio de Bortoli, Nicola Saldutti and Giuliana Ferraino of Corriere della Sera, Walter Galbiati of La Repubblica, Marco Ferrando of Avvenire, Marcello Zacchè of Giornale, Corrado Chiominto of Ansa, Sarah Varetto, Liliana Faccioli Pintozzi, Mariangela Pira of Sky Tg 24, Pierluigi Depentori of Adige, Enrico Franco of Corriere del Trentino, Simone Casalini.