{"id":112667,"date":"2024-02-16T11:39:15","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T10:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/politica-estera-e-cooperazione-allo-sviluppo\/aree_geografiche\/europa\/artico\/litalia-e-lartico\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T10:51:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T09:51:49","slug":"litalia-e-lartico","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/temi\/aree_geografiche\/europa\/artico\/litalia-e-lartico\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy and the Arctic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Italy boasts over a century of history in the Arctic<\/strong>, dating back to the Duke of Abruzzi\u2019s expedition in 1899 and Umberto Nobile\u2019s missions in 1926 and 1928. During those expeditions, the Royal Navy\u2019s support was significant, both for hydrographic activities and rescue operations. Italy\u2019s connection with the Arctic has continued over time, through the activity of explorers and scientists, including anthropologist Silvio Zavatti, who dedicated himself to studying the peoples of the North, particularly the Inuit, and Guido Monzino, who reached the North Pole by dog sled in 1971. The launch of research activities by the University of Rome<\/strong> in 1990 at the Pituffik (formerly Thule) Arctic Atmospheric Observatory in Greenland and the opening of the \u201cDirigibile Italia<\/em>\u201d base in Svalbard in 1997 by the National Research Council (CNR<\/strong>) mark the beginning of Italy\u2019s current presence in the Arctic. Besides the CNR<\/strong>, other Italian research institutes, particularly the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA<\/strong>), the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (ING<\/strong>V), and the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS<\/strong>), have also operated in the region over the years, thus creating a well-established presence of high-level scientific expertise.<\/p>\n

Such appreciated contribution to Arctic research, along with the economic interest of some major companies, was at the basis of the request to the Arctic Council for obtaining observer status, which was accepted in 2013. To prepare for that request, the Arctic Table<\/strong> \u2013 a coordination forum between Ministries, agencies, and companies \u2013 was established at the Foreign Ministry. That forum still meets regularly and is the main forum for discussion and interaction between Italian institutional and industrial stakeholders interested in the Arctic. Within the framework of the Arctic Table, a policy document entitled \u201cTowards an Italian Strategy for the Arctic \u2013 National Guidelines\u201d was drafted in 2015-2016. The document summarized the origins, evolution, and objectives of Italy\u2019s presence in the Arctic, highlighting its political commitment, environmental and human dimensions, scientific activities, and economic cooperation. In 2016-2017, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies <\/strong>conducted a fact-finding survey into the Italian Arctic Strategy, which included hearings with Italian and EU institutional representatives, foreign ambassadors, and representatives from the scientific and business communities.<\/p>\n

The conclusions of that survey reiterated that \u201cItaly\u2019s participation in political cooperation in the Arctic is a strategic priority in light of the changes underway in the region, caused by climate change and the close interaction among major international players in the Arctic.\u201d \u00a0It was also emphasized that \u201cin the commitment to strengthening research resources, it is urgent that our country recognizes the specific nature of Arctic research by identifying dedicated institutional and financial instruments, necessary to strengthen international scientific cooperation channels and enhance Italian excellence in the sector.\u201d Therefore, in the 2018 Budget Law, the Foreign Affairs Committee itself promoted the establishment of the Arctic Scientific Committee<\/strong> (CSA<\/strong>) and the Arctic Research Programme<\/strong> (PRA<\/strong>), with the aim of providing further support to research institutions and defining a coherent framework for a strengthened commitment by the Italian scientific community. An event was dedicated to the PRA as part of the CNR Centenary on February 9, 2023, and the funded initiatives are reported on the dedicated website www.programmaricercaartico.it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The new strategic document on the Arctic, entitled \u201cItaly\u2019s Arctic Policy. Italy and the Arctic: the Values of Cooperation in a Fast Changing Region,<\/strong>\u201d is currently being developed through an inter-Ministerial consultation and will be made public in early 2026. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies launched a new fact-finding survey<\/strong> into geopolitical trends and dynamics in the Arctic region <\/strong>in 2025 and established a Permanent Committee on Foreign Policy for the Arctic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In its approach to Arctic issues, Italy follows some basic principles<\/strong>, in line with the commitments associated with participation in the Arctic Council as an Observer State<\/strong>: respect for the sovereignty of Arctic States and the rules of international law applicable to the Arctic, primarily the Law of the Sea; promotion of the protection of local traditions and cultures and indigenous peoples, as well as international, multilateral and bilateral cooperation on Arctic issues; contribution to the economic development of the Arctic, involving the business community, within the framework of the highest standards of environmental protection and the principles of sustainable development; protection of the marine environment and safety of navigation. Bearing this in mind, representatives were appointed for each of the Arctic Council\u2019s six permanent working groups, as well as for some expert groups.<\/p>\n

The relevance of Italy\u2019s contribution to the Arctic Council \u2013 with a collaborative approach that leverages the contributions of Ministries (MUR, MASE, Ministry of Defence also through the Navy via the Navy Hydrographic Institute (MIT), through the General Command of the Port Authorities); research institutions (particularly CNR, ENEA, INGV, and OGS); universities and training institutions, as well as major Italian companies interested in the Arctic \u2013 is highlighted in the report periodically sent to the Arctic Council on its contribution as an Observer State. Italy also participates in other international frameworks dedicated to the Arctic \u2013 both institutional ones, primarily the Arctic Science Ministerial Meeting, the third meeting of which was held in Tokyo in May 2021, and conference-based, such as the Arctic Circle. Italy\u2019s contribution to the IMO (International Maritime Organization) in defining the regulations applicable to vessels operating in polar waters (Polar Code) is equally noteworthy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scientific research<\/strong> is therefore the driving force behind Italy\u2019s presence in the Arctic, starting with the decisive momentum provided in the 1980s by the aggregation of a \u201cpolar community\u201d around the National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA). Therefore, in the 1990s, activities were launched at the \u201cDirigibile Italia<\/em>\u201d base in Svalbard<\/strong> (CNR), as well as at Pituffik (formerly Thule) in Greenland, within the framework of the THAAO International Observatory<\/strong> (Sapienza University of Rome, ENEA, and INGV). Since then, much research has been conducted and much is currently underway, often within the framework of international collaborations and EU programmes. In addition to the fixed observation platforms, the OGS polar research vessel \u201cLaura Bassi\u201d was commissioned in 2019, mainly deployed in Antarctica. It conducted its first Arctic campaign in 2021, enabling the implementation of three projects<\/strong> funded by the PRA (the \u201cLaura Bassi\u201d replaced the \u201cOGS Explora<\/strong>\u201d, which had conducted five Arctic campaigns in addition to those in Antarctica). The Italian research fleet can also count on the vessel \u201cGaia Blu\u201d<\/em><\/strong>, operated by the CNR, and the Italian Navy\u2019s large hydro-oceanographic vessel (NIOM) \u201cQuirinale<\/em><\/strong>\u201d, whose advanced technology and considerable size will make it a key asset for scientific activities, including those in polar regions, from 2028 onwards. The most important initiatives \u2013 which are also worth mentioning, due to their collaborative nature resulting from the participation of all the main research institutions \u2013 include the annual marine geophysics campaigns launched in 2017 by the Italian Navy<\/strong>, through the Hydrographic Institute<\/strong>, as part of the multi-year programme called \u201cHigh North<\/strong>\u201d, which, in 2026, marked its tenth consecutive campaign.<\/p>\n

Several major Italian companies<\/strong> operate in the Arctic, which are fully involved in the Arctic Table\u2019s works, to ensure maximum synergy between the various components of the country system. Their activities in the region leverage a high level of technology to ensure maximum respect for this particularly sensitive environmental context. They also aim to involve local and indigenous populations in their initiatives, as they hold a valuable wealth of knowledge linked to the region and its traditions. These companies include: ENI<\/strong>, which applies cutting-edge operating standards and technological solutions suited to extreme operating conditions on the Goliat offshore platform in the Barents Sea (Norway), implementing innovative oil spill prevention systems \u2013 with the active involvement of indigenous populations; e-Geos<\/strong>, which markets data from the Cosmo-SkyMed satellite system and collaborates with several Norwegian companies and the Finnish Meteorological Institute; Fincantieri<\/strong>, active in the construction of polar navigation vessels in Norway, the United States, and Canada; ENEL Green Power<\/strong>, which plays a leading role in the geothermal sector. CNR and ENI signed a Memorandum in March 2019 to establish four research centres in Southern Italy, especially for young researchers, including one in Lecce dedicated to the Arctic and climate change.<\/p>\n

Finally, an important aspect is the dissemination of Arctic issues in Italy and the promotion of Italy\u2019s commitment to the Arctic abroad. In December 2014, the international Conference \u201cClimate Change in the Arctic\u201d was organized at the Venice International University, and in 2016, an international Conference entitled \u201cThe Arctic Council and the Italian Perspective \u2013 The 20th Anniversary of the Ottawa Declaration\u201d was held at the Foreign Ministry. In November 2016, the CNR exhibition \u201cArctic: An Interactive Journey to the North Pole\u201d<\/strong> was inaugurated at the Palazzo Ducale<\/em> in Genoa. It then travelled to several Italian cities and, in February 2020, to the CNR headquarters in Rome. In November 2018, the Milan Center for Food Law and Policy organized the Forum \u201cNew Arctic, Old Mediterranean \u2013 Together For An Extraordinary Destiny\u201d in Genoa. In April 2019, the Italian Navy\u2019s Hydrographic Institute hosted the exhibition \u201cThe Italian Navy at the North Pole\u201d in Genoa. In October 2022, the Alpine Troops Command of the Italian Army organized a Conference in Bolzano entitled \u201cThe Arctic: The New Great World Game,\u201d while in November 2023, a workshop entitled \u201cThe Future of the Arctic: Conflict or Cooperation?\u201d was held at the Center for American Studies in Rome. On February 25, 2025, the Arctic Observatory, an Italian-language online magazine dedicated to the Arctic, organized the fourth symposium entitled \u201cItaly Calls the Arctic\u201d in Bologna.<\/p>\n

The establishment of a PhD Programme in Polar Science<\/strong> at Ca\u2019 Foscari University of Venice in 2019, which became a PhD Programme of National Interest in 2023, is particularly noteworthy. The same holds true for the Polar Museum<\/strong> in Fermo, connected to the \u201cSilvio Zavatti\u201d Polar Geographical Institute, which publishes the magazine \u201cIl Polo\u201d<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2016, the SIOI<\/strong> (Italian Society for International Organization) has offered a Master\u2019s degree in \u201cEnvironmental and Economic Sustainability Policies: From the Arctic Region to the Global Dimension,\u201d and since 2018, it has organized the annual international symposium \u201cArctic Connections,\u201d in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Rome and the University of Bod\u00f8. Since September 2018 \u00a0it has been a member of the UArctic \u2013 University of the Arctic network, the first Institute from a Mediterranean country to be admitted. The CNR Institute of Polar Science has recently joined the network. \u00a0With specific reference to initiatives specifically aimed at young people, it organized a simulation of the Arctic Council\u2019s works called \u201cOne Arctic\u201d in 2017, and the Zero Hackathon \u201cOcean and Polar Connections\u201d in 2019. In April 2023, SIOI was an \u201cabroad partner\u201d in the High North Dialogue in Bod\u00f8, where it proposed a session entitled \u201cThe High North Seen from a Southern Perspective\u201d.<\/p>\n

Again on the international level, Italy has participated in Arctic Circle since 2018<\/strong>, also thanks to the support of the Embassy of Italy in Oslo. Besides several breakout sessions during subsequent editions, curated by experts from CNR, ENEA, INGV, the Italian Navy\u2019s Hydrographic Institute, Eni, e-Geos, and Fincantieri<\/em>, in 2018 the Foreign Ministry\u2019s Special Envoy for the Arctic gave a plenary presentation on \u201cItaly\u2019s Engagement in the Arctic,\u201d a topic to which an entire Italian panel was dedicated in 2024. Further significant presentations regarding Italy\u2019s commitment to the Arctic were delivered by the Special Envoy for the Arctic at the 2025 editions of the Arctic Circle Forum held in New Delhi, the Arctic Spirit in Rovaniemi, the EU Arctic Forum in Kittila, and the Arctic Encounter in Anchorage.<\/p>\n

In 2026, Italy hosted the Arctic Circle Forum, a format that is part of the initiatives linked to the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik. The event, entitled \u201cArctic Circle Rome Forum \u2013 Polar Dialogue. From Glaciers to Seas<\/strong>,\u201d was held on March 3-4 at the CNR headquarters, organized by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). To launch the Forum, the Italian delegation to the Arctic Circle Assembly, held on October 16-18, 2025, was led for the first time at government level by the Undersecretary of Defence, Senator Isabella Rauti, who spoke at the plenary session ending the Conference. At the 2026 event the large Italian delegation was led by the Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry, Massimo Dell\u2019Utri.<\/p>\n

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