When Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, the discussion covered a broad strategic agenda, from defense and energy to infrastructure, space and critical minerals. One announcement, however, stood out.
According to Palazzo Chigi, Carney confirmed Canada’s decision to grant Italy preferential access to Canadian critical mineral reserves, a move aimed at strengthening the security of supply chains between the two countries. The commitment adds a new dimension to the growing strategic partnership between Rome and Ottawa and highlights the rising importance of critical minerals within the broader G7 agenda.
The development did not emerge in isolation. It comes only weeks after Italy hosted the Critical Minerals Summit in Rome, where governments, companies and international partners discussed the growing geopolitical significance of the raw materials that underpin advanced manufacturing, defense technologies, semiconductors and the energy transition.
From Rome to Evian. The Canadian initiative is only one part of a broader picture.
- Before arriving in France for her first G7 summit as prime minister, Japan’s Sanae Takaichi traveled to Rome, where critical minerals featured prominently in her discussions with Meloni. Days later, at Evian, Takaichi brought the issue directly to the G7 table by proposing a coordinated stockpiling framework among member countries and like-minded partners.
- The Japanese proposal would involve maintaining strategic reserves equivalent to at least 90 days of supply and establishing mechanisms for coordinated releases in the event of disruptions. The idea reflects Tokyo’s long-standing concerns about supply-chain vulnerabilities and draws on lessons learned from previous disputes with China over access to rare earths and other strategic materials.
- Taken together, the meetings with Carney and Takaichi place Italy at the intersection of two complementary approaches. Canada represents the challenge of securing access to trusted sources of supply. Japan focuses on building resilience against future disruptions. Both have become central elements of the wider debate now taking shape among advanced economies.
A security issue, not just an industrial one. The prominence of critical minerals at the G7 reflects a broader shift in how governments view economic security.
- Rare earths, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and other strategic materials are essential for a growing range of technologies, from electric vehicles and batteries to military systems, digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence applications. Yet large parts of the global processing and refining chain remain concentrated in China.
- For G7 countries, the challenge is no longer simply about guaranteeing access to raw materials. The concern is increasingly tied to resilience, strategic autonomy and the ability to withstand geopolitical shocks.
- This explains why discussions in Evian have moved beyond traditional industrial policy. Supply chains that were once treated primarily as commercial matters are now being examined through the lens of national security.
Different approaches, shared concerns. While G7 members broadly agree on the need to reduce vulnerabilities, they continue to debate how best to achieve that goal.
- France has promoted the idea of a Critical Minerals Partnership among G7 countries, centered on investment, processing infrastructure and cooperation with resource-rich partners. The United States has focused on mechanisms designed to support production and encourage the development of alternative supply chains, including new forms of market support and bilateral agreements. Japan has prioritized stockpiling and crisis-management tools.
- The approaches differ, but the strategic diagnosis is remarkably similar. The objective is to reduce exposure to supply disruptions and limit the leverage that control over critical materials can generate in periods of geopolitical tension.
Italy’s emerging role. Italy is unlikely to become a major producer of critical minerals. Yet Rome appears increasingly interested in shaping the diplomatic architecture surrounding them.
- Critical minerals have steadily moved up Italy’s diplomatic agenda in recent months, as discussions among Western partners intensified following the Critical Minerals Summit held in Washington earlier this year. The issue also surfaced during South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s visit to Rome just days before the G7 summit, reflecting a growing Italian focus on supply-chain security and strategic technologies.
None of these developments alone would constitute a strategic breakthrough. Together, however, they suggest that Italy is seeking to carve out a role in one of the most consequential economic-security debates facing advanced democracies.
- As the G7 searches for ways to secure the supply chains that underpin future technologies, Rome is increasingly positioning itself as a connector between North American resource providers, European industrial interests and Indo-Pacific security concerns. That role may prove as valuable as access to the minerals themselves.
