Italy’s response to mounting hybrid pressure is becoming a test of its ability to turn political coordination into a broader national security strategy.
The big picture: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s initiative to bring political forces together at Palazzo Chigi reflects growing institutional awareness of threats affecting civilian infrastructure, economic activity and public confidence.
- In separate interviews with our sister website Formiche.net, Democratic Party lawmaker Lia Quartapelle and Francesco Torselli, a member of the European Parliament from Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI), offer perspectives on the challenges Italy faces in strengthening its national resilience.
- Their assessments highlight areas of potential convergence on security priorities and European cooperation, while reflecting different approaches to policy implementation.
Why it matters. Hybrid warfare increasingly targets the interconnected systems supporting everyday life. Cyberattacks, information manipulation, disruptions to critical infrastructure and pressure on strategic maritime networks can generate consequences extending well beyond conventional security institutions.
- For Italy, protecting national resilience also means safeguarding its Mediterranean connections, commercial networks and digital infrastructure.
- The challenge is translating political awareness into sustained investments, institutional coordination and public preparedness.
The governing majority’s view. In his interview, Torselli presents Meloni’s initiative as an expression of national responsibility, arguing that critical infrastructure protection requires cooperation across political boundaries.
- He emphasizes that contemporary defence encompasses schools, hospitals, companies, transportation systems and the digital services underpinning economic activity.
- With resources limited compared with major global competitors, Torselli argues that Europe should prioritize technological sectors where it retains competitive capabilities, particularly cybersecurity.
- His underlying argument is that cybersecurity spending should be treated as an investment in national resilience rather than an additional burden on defence budgets.
The parliamentary minority’s perspective. Quartapelle, speaking separately, advocates a comprehensive approach extending beyond cyberspace to critical infrastructure and the Mediterranean.
- She identifies submarine cables, maritime activities and energy-related vulnerabilities as interconnected dimensions of national security.
- She also calls for stronger cybersecurity investment, greater transparency when attacks can be attributed and fuller use of European instruments.
- For Quartapelle, government leadership must involve society as a whole, including businesses and citizens. Her concern is that repeated incidents, especially when attribution remains uncertain, could gradually normalize the threat and weaken public awareness.
The European dimension. Both lawmakers regard European capabilities as essential, although they approach the question differently.
- Torselli emphasizes strategic prioritization, suggesting that cybersecurity offers Europe an opportunity to concentrate resources where it can remain competitive.
- Quartapelle stresses closer European alignment and stronger cooperation, arguing that interconnected vulnerabilities cannot be addressed through national measures alone.
What to watch. Meloni’s institutional initiative provides an opening for a more structured Italian response, potentially connecting political leadership, intelligence capabilities, infrastructure protection and European coordination.
- The strategic question is whether this engagement can produce lasting operational priorities, sufficient investment and a shared understanding of hybrid threats across institutions and society.
The bottom line. Italy’s emerging approach reflects a broader European challenge: ensuring that hybrid security becomes a permanent component of national resilience, rather than a sequence of responses to individual incidents. Political coordination is an important starting point. Its strategic value will depend on what follows.
