The Council of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the continent’s leading intergovernmental astronomy organisation and the most productive astronomical observatory in the world, held its 170th meeting today in Rome, at the headquarters of the Accademia dei Lincei. Deputy Minister Edmondo Cirielli attended the opening session on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani.
The Deputy Minister emphasised Italy’s consistent and determined commitment to international scientific research, as well as the country’s strong financial, scientific, and industrial support for this European astronomical observation organisation since its inception. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has always been dedicated to promoting scientific diplomacy around the world, firmly convinced that international cooperation in these sectors is not only essential to address some of the most pressing contemporary geopolitical challenges, but also to ensure innovation, growth, and competitiveness for our country.
“Italy is playing a leading role in these cutting-edge research efforts. This is demonstrated by the role we have been given in ESO’s most important project: the E-ELT, European Extremely Large Telescope,” said the Deputy Minister. Once completed, it will be the largest telescope in the world, the size of the Colosseum, and will focus on studying many of the major unresolved questions in astronomy, potentially revolutionising our perception of the Universe. “Much of this telescope will be ‘speaking Italian’, starting with project management, entrusted to Roberto Tamai, and including many of its components, which will largely be produced by our country’s technical and industrial excellence,” the Deputy Minister concluded.
