Global Scans · Italy · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: The Italian economy is already in a fragile state and a now likely period of political uncertainty would be likely to do further damage. In particular, Italy's banking industry is seen as vulnerable to a loss of confidence. Italy could be the next domino to fall out of the EU through increasing populist party support.

• [New] In Italy, Terna announced an ambitious investment programme to accommodate new renewables and interconnections while Snam will invest in renewable gases and new infrastructure. ING Think
• [New] Italy's Sterilgarda Alimenti SpA will face the lowest rate of 21.9%, while FrieslandCampina Belgium NV and FrieslandCampina Nederland BV will pay the highest rate of 42.7%. UkrAgroConsult
• [New] As fashion brands are expected to face ongoing scrutiny in 2026, Italian legislators are working on a new bill to regulate the Made in Italy supply chain. WWD
• [New] Germany and Italy will work with the Critical Chemicals Alliance, a recently launched EU initiative, to strengthen the competitiveness of European chemicals producers and work on the implementation of the EU's Chemicals Action Plan to counter challenges like high energy costs and plant closures. Clean Energy Wire
• Italy will provide Ukraine with about 80 industrial boilers worth a total of 1.85 million euros (roughly $2.1 million) and with capacities ranging from 550 to 3,000 kilowatts. Critical Threats
• Libya plans to sign a $2.7 billion strategic partnership with Qatari, Italian, and Swiss companies to expand and develop the Misurata Free Zone Port, aiming to generate $500 million in annual operating revenues. GeopoliticsUnplugged Substack
• Italy's Piracy Shield rapid-blocking system fined Cloudflare €14 million for non-compliance, prompting threats to withdraw services and investments, exposing infrastructure neutrality breakdown. GeopoliticsUnplugged Substack
• Even under the lowest-considered global warming level of 1.5 °C, the projected increases in EALA from baseline values are substantial, with increases of 19% in Italy, 77% in UK, 114% in France, 12% in Norway and 77% in Denmark. Nature
• Under the lowest warming scenario of 1.5 °C, the median additional annual expenditures are projected to be €10 million for Italy and €5 million for Norway. Nature
• Italian pension funds are warning that allowing workers to transfer employers' contributions could increase member costs and undermine long-term investment in the real economy. IPE
• United States internet company Cloudflare has threatened to pull its services in Italy, including for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, after being fined 14 million euros ($16m) for failing to tackle online piracy. Al Jazeera
• In controlled experiments with participants in England and Italy, naming a heatwave - even with emotive labels like Lucifer - had little impact on how people perceived risk or planned to respond. The Conversation
• By 2050, the hyperloop transport network would cover the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and Poland, totaling approximately 6,207 km. Railway PRO
• Observing whether similar patterns emerge in the eight towns of Northern Italy will confirm or challenge the economic impact claims for the distributed Olympics model. Ainvest
• In Italy, a constitutional amendment separating the functions of judges and public prosecutors, currently united in a single body, will move to a nationwide referendum expected in spring 2026. ConstitutionNet
• L'Aquila, the city devastated by the massive earthquake that struck the central Abruzzo region 16 years ago, will take up its role as Italian Capital of Culture 2026. Wanted in Rome
• Italy's expected modest acceleration in GDP growth will likely be driven mainly by consumption and investment, the latter fuelled by the upcoming deadline for the EU-funded recovery plan. ING Think
• Italian consumption of machine tools, robots, and automation is forecast to grow by 5.9% to 4730 million euros, with imports rising 6.8% to 1875 million euros. Metalworking News |
• ECB's TPI faces strain as France's debt crisis risks contagion across Southern Europe, with Italy's 138% debt-to-GDP ratio amplifying systemic vulnerabilities. Ainvest
• SpaceX plans the first California rocket launch of 2026, targeting a Falcon 9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base to deploy the CSG-3 Earth-observation satellite for the Italian Space Agency, replacing the COSMO-SkyMed system. Without cables
• SpaceX plans to launch a batch of COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellites for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence from Vandenberg Space Force Base using a Falcon 9 rocket. Without cables

Last updated: 30 January 2026