A priority for Rome. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited Trieste today to reaffirm the Italian government’s commitment to regional integration.
- Tajani used the city’s growing geopolitical clout to relaunch the Central European Initiative (CEI) ’s role in Europe’s eastward and southward strategies.
- CEI is a regional intergovernmental forum of 17 Member States in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
- He met with CEI Secretary General Franco Dal Mas at the organisation’s Executive Secretariat alongside local officials, institutional representatives, and figures from the region’s political and economic sectors.
In his own words. Tajani explained that the Italian government is doing “everything possible to speed up” the process of the Western Balkans’ accession to the European Union.
- He also emphasised the importance of having an “increasingly strong Italian and European presence in this part of Europe.”
- Tajani pointed out that Italy looks “with attention” to the Balkan countries, which “can be real opportunities for internationalisation” for Italy.
- He referred to the recently unveiled action plan to strengthen exports and reach 700 billion in 2027, up from the current €650 billion.
Eastern borderlands. The visit emphasised CEI’s mission to foster regional cooperation in Central-Eastern Europe and the Balkans, especially amid renewed EU enlargement efforts and continued support to Ukraine.
- Italy, a founding member and primary financial backer of the CEI, has supported more than 200 projects through the Italian Fund at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development—ranging from infrastructure to sustainable development and cross-border connectivity.
- The CEI, originally designed as a bridge between Western Europe and the post-Soviet East, now finds itself at the intersection of major strategic corridors.
Why Trieste matters. Tajani’s visit underscored the strategic role of Trieste, which is rapidly becoming a key junction in Europe’s geopolitical and logistical networks.
- A natural gateway to Central Europe: Trieste provides the most direct maritime access to industrial powerhouses like Vienna, Munich, and Budapest, making it the optimal port for Central Europe and a vital asset in Italy’s logistics and foreign policy strategy.
- Geopolitical hinge point: The city stands at the crossroads of two grand initiatives—the Mediterranean endpoint of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the southern outlet for the Three Seas Initiative.
- IndoMed node: It’s uniquely positioned to connect Europe’s centre and East with the wider Indo-Mediterranean space.
A new centrality. Tajani’s mission reaffirmed Italy’s diplomatic weight in Central-Eastern Europe and sent a clear signal: Trieste is back on the map.
- It is evolving into a platform where EU enlargement, Euro-Atlantic connectivity, and Indo-Mediterranean infrastructure converge.
