Technological challenges for the wider Mediterranean: Med-Or gets to work

An increasingly complex landscape that is changing not only countries’ strategic and commercial alliances but also their technological alliances. Supply chains that overlap and sometimes intersect in line with the logic of so-called ‘friendshoring’. Value chains that must be underpinned by defensive alliances between nations. Against this backdrop, the conference ‘Geopolitics, Technology and Security: Challenges and Prospects for Italy’ took place in Rome on Wednesday, organised by the Med-Or Italian Foundation in collaboration with the Luiss School of Government. The initiative forms part of the activities of the research project ‘Geopolitics, Technology and Security in the Mediterranean. Evolution and challenges to global security in the wider Mediterranean, between geopolitical competition and technological revolution. What prospects for Italy?’, developed as part of the ‘Geopolitics and Technology’ call for proposals, promoted by the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation and the CSF Foundation.

The conference provided a forum for discussion between experts and representatives from the academic, institutional and industrial sectors on the key issues that emerged during the research activities, with a particular focus on the challenges posed by geopolitical competition, technological innovation, energy security and unconventional threats in the Mediterranean.

The event consisted of two round-table discussions. The first, dedicated to the theme ‘Connectivity, technology, energy and security: the Mediterranean as a global frontier’, was moderated by Ginevra Leganza and featured contributions from Hoda Al Khzaimi, Director of the Centre for Cyber Security at New York University Abu Dhabi; Giuseppe Calabrò, adviser on energy security to the Minister of Defence and full professor at the University of Tuscia; Mohamed Ali Chihi, Executive Director of the Global Institute for Strategic Research (GISR) in Doha; Stefano Del Col, Director of the Secretariat of the Supreme Defence Council at the Presidency of the Italian Republic; and Gaetano Quagliariello, Dean of the Luiss School of Government.

The second round-table discussion, ‘The weight of geopolitics: between conflicts and technological competition. What prospects for the national economy?’, was attended by Enrico Bagnasco, president of Confindustria Assafrica e Mediterraneo and chief executive of Sparkle; Nunzia Ciardi, Deputy Director of the National Cybersecurity Agency; Francesco Macrì, President of Leonardo; and Biagio Mazzotta, President of Fincantieri. The proceedings were concluded by Marco Minniti, President of the Med-Or Italian Foundation. The conference aims to contribute to the dissemination of the research findings, which will be compiled into a final scientific publication, due to be presented in November in Milan.