President Meloni’s speech at the Italy-Libya Business Forum

Good afternoon everyone.

Thank you for being here at this event which I consider to be of particular importance. I was just talking with the Prime Minister, whom I thank, about how this is my fourth visit to Libya since taking office as head of the Italian Government, and my third visit to Libya this year alone. This is not by chance; the frequency of these reciprocal visits is the result of a very precise political choice this Government has made. We consider relations with Libya to be a priority for Italy, and a priority for Europe, and we are convinced that the deep-rooted cooperation between us has not yet reached its full potential.

The last time I was here in Tripoli at the invitation of the Prime Minister, whom I thank once again, was four months ago, at the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in May. This was a very important initiative of the Prime Minister’s to address the management of migration flows and the fight against human traffickers, together with Italy, the European Union and African nations. On that occasion, we had in-depth discussions on various aspects of our collaboration on this front. I am mentioning this because one of those aspects is linked to the work we are doing here today, offering continuity and an integration of vision in the work we are carrying out, which I believe is particularly important because, along with our efforts to combat mass illegal immigration and to guarantee the right not to have to emigrate, meaning fostering growth and development, there is another crucial element, which is that of supporting legal migration channels.

The Italian Government has introduced a decree regarding migration flows, which provides for 450,000 entries over a three-year period in order to encourage legal migration. Such mechanisms, however, can only work if the production systems in the two nations that are cooperating talk to each other and if, upstream, the systems are connected, there is balance between supply and demand for jobs and training has been carried out.

This is therefore another element that shows how the cooperation we are pursuing corresponds to a very broad vision overall. There are clearly very many aspects we are here to discuss in depth as part of our work today.

Together with the Prime Minister, we were very keen to organise this Business Forum as, incredibly, one hadn’t been held for ten years. I am very proud to have contributed to reinstating this event because I think our business communities have a lot to say to each other, there are many issues that they can and must discuss, and it is up to institutions to foster this dialogue.

I would therefore like to greet and thank all the representatives from the Italian and Libyan business communities in attendance today, of whom there are many. I think this level of participation essentially tells us two things: that relations between our companies have never been interrupted, and that there is a common interest in improving even further on what we have done so far.

Hence why I think our goal must be, on the one hand, to relaunch partnerships that had been on hold for some time, and, on the other, to expand collaborations that have always remained ongoing, above all exploring new forms of cooperation together.

This is also why I wanted to come to Tripoli in person today, to reaffirm Italy’s and the Italian Government’s will and commitment to stand by Libya and its people in this new phase of reconstruction and development.

Libya is a major economic partner for Italy, as can be seen in our excellent trade relations. The trade figures speak for themselves. Over the three-year period between 2020 and 2023, bilateral trade flows more than tripled, up from EUR 2.6 billion to EUR 9.1 billion. In the first half of 2024, trade increased further. Italy is Libya’s main importer and third largest exporter as well as being the biggest investor in its energy sector. At the same time, for Libya Italy represents a privileged gateway to one of the world’s largest energy markets, Europe, which counts 500 million consumers. We are, in fact, a natural bridge between Europe, the wider Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East. This offers us a two-fold opportunity: to work to become a production and distribution hub for energy flows between the Mediterranean, Africa and Europe, and thus be the cornerstone linking new interconnections, which of course must be infrastructure and economic interconnections. We are also giving a voice to these aspirations through our Mattei Plan for Africa.

From this point of view, our bilateral cooperation is already very strong and covers several areas, including the most innovative telecommunications and cyber security fields. Libya and Italy are already connected via the Green Stream gas pipeline and undersea data cables. However, in this regard, I believe there is also excellent scope to build new opportunities together too. 

Strengthening our connections also means ensuring a direct link between our two nations, serving our citizens and serving our businesses.

This is why we were the first in Europe to resume direct flights to Libya, more than a year ago now, as the Prime Minister mentioned. I am proud to announce today that, starting from January 2025, ITA Airways will also be connecting our two nations once again. I am also proud of the fact that Italy was the first western nation to withdraw its negative stance on business travel to Libya. I think these are two key factors in revitalising our economic relations, and, as I was saying, I am also convinced that our cooperation can be significantly strengthened in many areas: from fishing to agro-industry, the marine economy, healthcare and pharmaceuticals. This is also why we will be signing numerous agreements today, and I also wish to thank Minister Urso for accompanying me; we will provide our companies with additional tools to invest and work together.

So, dear Prime Minister, dear friends, with today’s Business Forum we are laying the foundations for a completely new phase in our economic and trade relations. We are doing so in the knowledge that Italy and Libya are two nations that are friends, are linked by centuries of shared history, and whose destinies are intertwined, with our ties running deeper than we often remember.

It is up to us to reshape this cooperation, ensuring it can fully seize and make the most of the opportunities that this moment in time is offering us.

So, my sincere thanks to all of you, and I wish you all the best with your work at this Business Forum.