Matteo Piantedosi’s trip to Washington. Over the past few days, the Italian Interior Minister was in the United States capital, where he met with the Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas. The two discussed several topics, including the fight against organised crime, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration – and broached the strengthening of cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.
Cyber deal coming up. Rome and Washington are working on a Memorandum of Understanding designed to strengthen operational collaboration in the cyber sphere, improve the security of critical infrastructure, and foster new partnership opportunities.
- The documents are at an advanced stage, Decode39 understands. The signing is expected by year’s end – and Mr Mayorkas’ visit to Italy could prove the perfect occasion.
- Minister Piantedosi officially invited him during their face-to-face meeting in Washington; the Rome visit could take place between next autumn and winter.
It’s about stepping up collaboration. This upcoming protocol will further reinforce Italu-US cooperation in the cyber field, covering several crucial areas such as defence, intelligence, resilience (with the National Cybersecurity Agency supporting the work on the Italian side) and diplomacy.
- Back in November, the Italian Foreign Affairs Minister had organised the NATO Cyber Defence Pledge Conference 2022 in collaboration with the United States – with member states pledging to protect their national networks and infrastructures by enhancing their national resilience for the collective benefit of the Alliance.
Image: Italian Interior Minister Twitter profile
