ECCO think tank

Three days ago, Beatrice Moro joined the first Friends of IDA roundtable in Rome, launched by the World Bank with Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Focus: the role of #IDA in today’s development finance architecture and how Italy-World Bank cooperation can deliver concrete results.

Synergies exist, but they require coordination, common tools and what Mario Draghi called “pragmatic federalism”.

A safer #Europe is not isolated.
#Europeansecurity is strengthened through deeper integration and stronger international cooperation.

Today at the #MunichSecurityConference, 70+ Heads of State and Government, 140 ministers and 40 international organisations gather to discuss Europe’s security future.

Amid geopolitical fragmentation and rising uncertainty, one issue stands out: integration⬇️

🌍 Connecting grids, securing the future

Yesterday, ECCO's Gabriele Cassetti spoke at the #TEASIMED2 closing conference in Brussels.

The project explores the feasibility of a Mediterranean power pool, with deeper electricity integration having the potential to boost efficiency & energy security.

📆Today, in Antwerp, European leaders meet to discuss competitiveness, the single market & growth.

Priorities also include regulatory simplification. But simplification in the name of competitiveness risks eroding the #GreenDeal & increasing uncertainty.

ECCO’s Head of Italy-EU Policy said:

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Boosting EU Energy Diplomacy in the Mediterranean. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Boosting EU Energy Diplomacy in the Mediterranean. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

👉Register here: tinyurl.com/yx2v969v

#WEBINAR
📆12 February, 8:30-10:30

How can EU energy diplomacy in the #Mediterranean deliver energy security, clean-tech investment and jobs while supporting electrification?

Find out in our webinar “Boosting EU Energy Diplomacy in the Mediterranean”, co-organised with @strategicperspectives.eu👇

🎉ECCO keeps growing!

We’re happy to welcome Chiara Francesca Ausenda to ECCO as a Junior Data Analyst.

Chiara will support our Industry & Trade team with quantitative analysis and data analytics, helping make ECCO's work even more robust and data-driven.

Congratulations Chiara! 💪

Between gas and renewables: Italy and Algeria's twin-track cooperation - ECCO On 23 July, Rome hosted the Fifth Italy–Algeria Intergovernmental Summit, reaffirming the strategic cooperation between the two countries.

🔎In this context, Italy can promote an energy transition in the Mediterranean that goes beyond mere supply.

Cooperation with Algeria should extend to local development, industrial collaboration and the diffusion of transition technologies.

👉Learn more:
tinyurl.com/58fb53yw
tinyurl.com/strke73n

🔹For #Algeria, the continued centrality of hydrocarbons represents a structural vulnerability.

➡️Without a long-term, integrated #transition plan, the country risks stagnation, fiscal instability and a gradual loss of strategic relevance.

🔹For #Italy, a rise in gas imports from the south would require strengthening the domestic transmission network.

➡️This would push the country towards a 'Late Transition' scenario, distancing it from European targets and international decarbonisation commitments.

🌍Today, the Italian Minister of Environment & Energy Security is in Algeria for the conference 'North Africa: connecting continents, creating opportunities'

Energy is central to the partnership, with many agreements already in place. Yet, increased gas supplies could pose challenges for both sides👇

👉In the Mediterranean & Europe, this is not just an energy trend but a geopolitical one, affecting energy security, industrial development & cooperation.

It is in this context that the #TeraMedInitiative, with ECCO & the Global Solar Council as partners, operates.

🔎Learn more: tinyurl.com/2wduyu4b

🌍Solar power grows in Africa

A new @globalsolarcouncil.bsky.social report confirms that solar power in Africa is accelerating.

This momentum is driven by:
🔹large utility-scale projects backed by public funds & development finance
🔹 rooftop & distributed systems growth fuelled by private investment

EV NDC World Map Interactive map of global ambition to adopt electric vehicles (EVs) based on the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of Paris Agreement signatories Data current to 15 December 2025

The absence of some major markets does not alter the overall picture: electric mobility remains central to global transport decarbonisation.

For the EU, strengthening the market and industrial capacity for EVs is crucial for climate and competitiveness.

👉Explore the map here: tinyurl.com/5cnbc97v

🔹 104 countries commit to developing electric mobility in their NDCs;
🔹 66 countries set specific targets for electric vehicles – the highest number ever;
🔹 these countries account for over 60% of global car sales;
🔹 52 countries have introduced concrete EV targets for the first time since 2015.

⚡Electric mobility in global climate strategies

+100 countries include electric mobility in their climate commitments, showing the importance of vehicle electrification in climate strategies.

The EV NDC World Map by @agoraverkehr.bsky.social illustrates global ambition based on NDCs. Key data👇

🚗 Our European car market monitor is now available.

In 2025, BEVs reached a 19% market share.

🏭 European car manufacturers’ pools average CO₂ emissions 97g CO₂/km, 4 grams from their next target.

👉 theicct.org/publication/...

In the game with Trump, the Green Deal remains the ace - ECCO While Trump once again attacks the Green Deal, the reality on the European continent is moving in exactly the opposite direction.

📌In the game with #Trump, the #GreenDeal remains the ace

While Trump renews his attacks on renewables, Europe is moving in the opposite direction: for the first time, solar and wind generated more electricity than gas and coal.

👉Learn more:
tinyurl.com/2stnmpc4

NEW | Wind and solar generated more power than fossil fuels in the EU for the FIRST time ever.

🌪️ and ☀️ made up a RECORD 30% of 🇪🇺 electricity, up from 20% just five years ago.

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/european-electricity-review-2026/

🔸Europe’s deal with Trump risks undermining competitiveness and the transition
eccoclimate.org/europes-deal...

🔸Europe’s countermoves in the tariff war
eccoclimate.org/europes-coun...

By increasing its #energy dependence on the US, the EU risks losing competitiveness in global markets and jeopardising the Green Deal’s climate objectives.

Greater energy independence, based on domestic renewable energy production, remains crucial for a stronger negotiating position.

Learn more👇

📌Today, Trump's eagerly awaited speech at the #WorldEconomicForum risks adding complexity to transatlantic relations.

Relations in which Europe’s position is further weakened by the recent trade agreements signed in August, which commit it to purchasing $750 billion of American energy products.

Venezuela: oil in past and future geopolitical dynamics - ECCO The invasion of Venezuela by the Trump administration has reopened the debate: is oil a determining factor in US foreign policy strategy?

📌Venezuela: oil in past & future geopolitical dynamics

The invasion of #Venezuela has reopened the debate: is oil a determining factor in US foreign policy?

It also highlights that while fossil fuels heighten risks, electrification can offer security & stability.

👉Learn more: tinyurl.com/mr497f6x

🎉New arrival in ECCO

We're delighted to welcome Eleonora Rinaldi as our new Press Officer.

With experience in European institutions & journalism, she is now based in the Rome office, coordinating relations with Italian & international media.

Congratulations Eleonora!

Italian government poised to back new mandate for Eni CEO, sources say Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is poised to back Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi for a new three-year term at the energy ​group, three sources close to the matter said, paving the way for the ‌top exe...

“The CEO should commit to steering the group towards electrification, embracing technologies that can ensure competitiveness and energy independence for Italy.”

👉Read the full Reuters piece for more context:
tinyurl.com/3xvp7a9r

📌ENI leadership & the energy transition

Reuters reports that the Italian government is set to support a new three-year mandate for #ENI CEO Claudio Descalzi.

Commenting on the news, ECCO's Matteo Leonardi stressed that a renewed mandate should come with a clear strategic shift👇

🎉Giovanni D'Amico officially joins ECCO as Junior Policy Advisor Foreign Policy, after completing his internship.

Giovanni brings a solid background in the #geopolitics of the energy transition, energy security & foreign policy, strengthening our work on these issues.

Congratulations Giovanni!

On Tuesday, Chiara Di Mambro joined the event “Buying European & Sustainable is Good Value for Public Money”.

The discussion highlighted that industrial policy must be driven by demand, not only supply-side incentives.

Thanks to @nzingaretti.bsky.social & Stefano Cadavegna for their contributions.

Does the future of climate depend on trade policy? The recently concluded COP30 in Belém, Brazil, will likely not be remembered for major breakthroughs, but it did crystallise a broader reality: climate action is shaped as much by trade, industrial po...

📌Does the future of climate depend on trade policy?

#COP30 crystallised a key reality: climate action today is shaped as much by trade, industrial policy & competition as by multilateral diplomacy.

Explore these dynamics in our new blog by Cecilia Trasi & Ilaria Mazzocco👇

tinyurl.com/yzwy7rpj