Year XXXVIII, Number 1, March 2025

Sergio Mattarella
President of the Italian Republic

Mr. Federal President, dear Frank-Walter,  Representatives of the various institutions, Seminar participants,

I am very pleased to conclude this seminar on German-Italian cooperation on climate change and energy transition with President Steinmeier - whom I thank on behalf of us all for his interesting remarks just now -

I would like to thank the United Nations Campus in Bonn for hosting us and for their valuable cooperation.

Shortly before joining you in this room, I had the pleasure of meeting with a delegation of Italian officials working here and of seeing, once again, how much their competence and dedication contribute to the role of the United Nations.

My special thanks go to the Rapporteurs for so effectively summarizing the outcome of this morning of intensive work.

We have seen how all those attending the three sessions made an invaluable contribution in terms of ideas and projects which showed, once again, the convergence of the strategic interests of Germany and Italy.

This seminar reiterates the message that there is an urgent need for an energy transition that is tangible, pragmatic, sustainable, and efficient.

For too long we have addressed the issue of environmental protection and climate change inadequately, artificially setting the interests of the present against those of the future of our children and grandchildren.

 The method we have used has been inadequate because we thought we could deal with the problem by proceeding haphazardly, looking back at discoveries of the past using run of the mill resources, and obsolete tools.

Instead, it is only through cooperation between states, adherence to the shared goals of the United Nations and the use of special resources that we can provide the much-needed acceleration in the fight against climate change, in order to embark on global energy transition.

There is, often, a contradiction between the effort made to identify goals on an international level and the policies then actually implemented nationally, in the field, even by the decision-makers themselves.

The consequences of our delays are there for all to see and are always   disastrous

The increasing frequency of natural disasters is evident and affects every aspect of our lives, devastating entire territories, claiming victims.

In fact, the consequences of climate change, and our delay in mitigating it, deprive many people of their most basic right to life, often forcing them to abandon the places they inhabit in search of survival.

If we want to leave future generations a planet where humanity can live and prosper in peace everywhere, in every place, in every continent, we will have to make, crucial progress, all together.

Germany and Italy together can provide a practical example of responsibility and cooperation.

Last year in Sicily -as President Steinmeier kindly reminded us-we saw together the consequences of the terrible fires that had devastated the island, but we also visited a major European project in Catania, Enel Green Power, known as the "Sun Factory," a solar panel factory, an example of the ability to innovate and support the European supply chain in strategic sectors.

Our two countries have many examples  of  outstanding quality in multiple areas of  industry and technology.

These sectors of the economy are characterized by high energy consumption.

Both are committed to abandoning fossil fuels, to achieving a sustainable energy system that combines an ambitious climate policy with safeguarding industrial supply chains, growth, and welfare.

While the Federal Republic of Germany continues to be Italy's largest commercial partner, the  deep-routed integration of our manufacturing systems and the  specific importance of our  bilateral trade- large as it is - means we must press on even more  with  cooperating on our common goal of achieving the targets Europe has set itself  with regards to climate neutrality,  This will also  create new opportunities for industrial Partnerships.

This represents a challenge for innovation in which our future is at stake, and it matters little that the European Union's weight in the world’s global ecological equilibrium is less than that of other industrial giants which, instead, lag behind thereby contributing significantly to further pollution of the planet.

Their choices seem outdated, and Europe can be proud of setting its sights on the future.

It is in the interests of Germany and Italy, the top two manufacturing countries in the European Union, to co-operate politically, scientifically, and entrepreneurially in all areas pertaining to green , thereby continuing with the systemic integration of their energy infrastructure.

This is the way to achieve our shared political and strategic goal of being the leaders in  cutting-edge technology, moving further towards de-carbonization of the economy and diversification of energy sources, while building greater resilience in the face of external shockwaves. This will bringsignificant benefits for the entire production system, once everything is up and running.

After all, it was Robert Schuman who envisaged a " Europe of small steps" approach, the  idea  being that, as he said,  "Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity."

Everyone is called upon to cooperate.

The protagonists are, first and foremost, German and Italian companies, working together with national and supranational institutions, to accommodate and promote suitable solutions to accompany green transitions, while at the same time strengthening the industrial base of the two leading manufacturing economies in Europe.

Today, as we heard, representatives from large companies in our countries have been discussing topics such as hydrogen and green energy.

The fact that they were joined by representatives from the world of research and innovation confirms the relevance of a dialogue which aims to find win-win solutions for the major challenges posed by global transition, starting with the mitigation of, and adjustment to, the effects of climate change.

The European Union is called upon to make an extraordinary effort in this area.

The new Commission, which will take office shortly, has set out a timeline for a clean, fair and competitive transition.

This message is also found in the Draghi Report which President Steinmeier quoted earlier and which states clearly that to ensure Europe is able to be competitive, it needs, in the long term, to abandon fossil fuels and make the transition, thereby highlighting-as the Report does -the connection between decarbonization and competitivity

It is worth remembering that the Report provides a useful warning about the risk of Europe failing unless there is a coherent commitment to the policies to be introduced.

Simplistic recipes for complex problems such as those we face, are only for charlatans.

This is an ambitious project that we will only be able to achieve by agreeing to greater cooperation, enabling us to move toward an Energy Union, with a role similar to the one that the  partnership on steel and coal was able to play after World War II in rebuilding and revitalizing the growth of European countries. That farsighted choice opened the path to integration.

The international situation is fraught with pitfalls and challenges. The wars, on our doorstep, are the most obvious example.

Climate and energy are issues, which, like that of defence, challenge our sovereignty, spurring us on even more towards cooperating on a more responsible and shared exercise of sovereignty.

Thank you for your work.

Dialogue and exchange, fostered by seminars like today's, are a key part of what we intend to accomplish.

Thank you and best wishes.

* Speech by President Sergio Mattarella at Seminar "Cooperation between Italy and Germany: a valuable resource in combating climate change and for a global energy transition" - Bonn, 9/28/2024 (2nd term of office)