📌How can Italy become a clean energy hub in the Mediterranean while building stronger partnerships with North African countries? Based on 40+ interviews across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia & Egypt, ECCO and RES4Africa Foundation's new policy brief explores exactly this question👇 tinyurl.com/43sfwtet

Italy as a clean energy hub in the Mediterranean

Since 2022, a succession of shocks has re-established energy as a structural geopolitical and economic risk, reinforcing energy security as a systemic issue

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🗞️PRESS RELEASE The European Commission unveils the ETS revision & the Electrification Action Plan. Due to be presented today, these initiatives are part of a strategy to reduce fossil fuel dependence, strengthen energy security & boost competitiveness. Read our press release👇 tinyurl.com/z3wkmupx

📄Today, @caneurope.org published a study analysing the drivers behind high energy prices & exploring policy solutions. We contributed insights on the Italian case, where electricity is subject to taxes & levies that are systematically higher than natural gas, petrol & diesel. Read the full study👇

Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe@caneurope.org · 3w ago

🔌💶 What can 7 European countries teach us about making electricity more affordable? Quite a lot. Our new report compares experiences from Poland, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Czechia & Germany. Read 👉 caneurope.org/news/cheaper...

🔎ETS1 returns to the heart of the debate ahead of the European Commission’s revision proposal on 17 July. Suspending or dismantling it wouldn't cut energy bills: the driver behind high prices remains the cost of gas. Instead, it would remove a key price signal guiding investment towards clean tech.

The third annual progress report on the state of implementation of the #MatteiPlan has been submitted to the Italian Parliament, offering an opportunity to take stock of its progress and limitations. Overall, it reflects key steps forward in the implementation of the Mattein Plan, in particular👇

🔎 Can T-MED deliver a new Euro-Mediterranean energy vision? The T-MED initiative aims to establish a framework for renewable energy & clean technology cooperation across the Mediterranean. But will it manage to become a genuine #EuroMediterranean partnership instrument generating shared ownership?

🤝Against an evolving geopolitical backdrop, how can Italy & North African countries build partnerships that deliver mutual benefits while accelerating the transition? Today, ECCO & RES4Africa Foundation brought together representatives for a closed-door roundtable to discuss this exact question.

🌍From Bonn and London to Antalya Amid headlines of deadlocked negotiations in #Bonn, political signals from COP Presidencies and diplomatic initiatives suggest COP31 could better connect negotiated outcomes with real-world action. Alexandra Scott & Valeria Zanini discuss it in our latest article👇

🌱We would like to welcome Matteo Frisoni, who is joining ECCO as a Policy Advisor! Matteo is a PhD student in political economy at King’s College London. At ECCO, he will be working on the economic and financial architecture of the EU and Italy to support long-term investments for the transition.

🔎The funds for the energy transition are available, the political will to mobilise them is lacking With the European Semester’s Spring Package, Brussels has allowed fiscal flexibility for defence to be used to invest in energy security as well. ➡️For Italy, this could unlock around €14 billion.

📆On Monday, we organised a session with @i4ce.bsky.social on the future of #NECPs and Europe’s strategic autonomy & competitiveness. Speakers explored how the revision of the Governance Regulation on the Energy Union & Climate Action is a key opportunity to turn NECPs into strong investment plans.

🌎Algeria and energy security in the Mediterranean In the latest Energy Security Focus by ISPI, Giulia Signorelli and Lorena Stella Martini examine Algeria’s #energytransition and its evolving relationship with Italy and Europe in the current geopolitical context. Learn more👇 tinyurl.com/mtps985k

📌Climate diplomacy is entering an implementation era 20 years after the Paris Agreement, the focus is shifting to implementation. As discussions move from Bonn to Antalya, the Mediterranean offers a key test case. What can the region offer COP31 and what can the climate community offer the region?

🌎Last week, ECCO took part in Climax III in Turin. Amid tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, the discussion explored links between conflict, energy markets & economic vulnerability. In this context, accelerating the energy transition is increasingly a matter of resilience, competitiveness & autonomy.

🌍Last week, ECCO took part in the Energy Future Conference in Algiers. In particular, we presented the study 'Seizing the Opportunities of the Energy Transition: How Algeria Can Reinforce Its Energy Partnership with Europe', highlighting prospects for energy cooperation between Algeria & Europe.

This afternoon we hosted the event ‘Making SMEs part of the energy transition: how to ensure fair taxation of electricity’ at #EUSEW2026. 🙌A big thank you to all speakers for their contributions to this important discussion and to everyone who joined us! 🔎Watch the event here: tinyurl.com/4m6kpb85

🌍 On Tuesday, Commissioner Dubravka Šuica launched the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation Initiative (T-MED). T-MED confirms the growing recognition of the #Mediterranean as a strategic space for energy security, industrial development and clean energy cooperation.

⚡Electrify your home and consume less. But what about the bill? In Italy's domestic sector, electricity is subject to taxes & levies 4 times higher than gas. In detail, for each kWh, you pay: 🔸€8.73 c€ for electricity 🔸€2.31 c€ for gas This is despite electric technologies being more efficient 👇

📆Join us at the European Sustainable Energy Week There’s still time to register for our event 'Making SMEs part of the energy transition: how to ensure fair taxation of electricity?' 🕐11 June 2026, 14:00 📍European Commission, Brussels and online Learn more: tinyurl.com/4xjaavfp

🔎Delivering in Bonn, preparing for COP31 The 64th session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies opens in #Bonn today. Three priorities stand out for setting up climate progress: 1️⃣A clear articulation of COP31’s purpose 2️⃣A credible finance dialogue 3️⃣A shift from negotiation to implementation Learn more👇

📌Diversification and development: Gulf–Africa relations in the energy transition Recent energy shocks highlight the vulnerabilities and unsustainability of hydrocarbon-based economic models. In this context, Gulf states are accelerating diversification, with growing partnerships across #Africa 👇

📌UN: resolution adopted on Court’s advisory opinion The UN General Assembly has adopted the resolution following up on the ICJ’s advisory opinion on states’ climate obligations. ➡️Italy is among the co-sponsors, reaffirming its support for the process and its commitment to environmental protection.

#EVENT - Making SMEs part of the energy transition The European Sustainable Energy Week #EUSEW offers a space to discuss the solutions shaping Europe’s energy, industrial & economic future. In this context, ECCO & CNA are organising a panel on the barriers to industrial electrification for SMEs👇

📅20 May: UN climate vote and Italy’s position On 20 May, the UN General Assembly will vote on a draft resolution aiming to underscore the authority of the 2025 #advisoryopinion. In 2023, Italy supported the request for the opinion; the vote will show whether that position is upheld.

🗣️Yesterday in Brussels, the event “Securing CH₄nge – Turning Policy into Action” took place. Organised in the context of the European Civil Society Observatory on Methane's work, it brought together institutional actors, scientists & civil society to discuss delivery challenges & opportunities 👇

🔍The declaration put forward in Palermo by the Mediterranean Alliance of Think Tanks on Climate Change starts from a premise that is hard to dispute: climate credibility no longer depends on new targets, but on implementing those already agreed. Find the #MATTCCh declaration here, in 4 languages 👇

📆Today, the European Commission published a Communication on emergency #Stateaid in response to the Hormuz crisis. It aims to help Member States mitigate economic risks and safeguard competitiveness by clarifying the measures they can introduce to limit the impact of the crisis on energy prices.

As 50+ countries head into high-level talks in Santa Marta, the task is clear: turn the pledge to transition away from fossil fuels into practical roadmaps for action. From 5,000 miles away, Alex Scott, Climate Diplomacy Lead @eccoclimate.bsky.social explains why Santa Marta matters.

🔎On Friday, the first International Conference on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels began. Breaking from COP-style negotiations, Santa Marta seeks to launch a political and diplomatic process among a coalition of ambitious countries to advance the phase-out of #fossilfuels👇

🔎 EU energy diplomacy at full throttle Yesterday, the #EU Foreign Affairs Council released new conclusions on energy & climate diplomacy, calling for more ambition. But “more ambition” only matters if it translates into action. In this context, our latest analysis sets out some key priorities👇