Italy has unveiled its new national strategy for the Arctic, reinforcing its long-term engagement in the rapidly changing High North and setting out priorities for cooperation, sustainability, security, and research in the region.

As a long-standing Observer to the Arctic Council, Italy has been actively involved in Arctic affairs for several decades, particularly through scientific research, polar infrastructure, and multilateral cooperation. The new strategy builds on this legacy, providing a more integrated and forward-looking framework for Italy’s activities and partnerships in the Arctic.

Key focus areas of the Italian Arctic Strategy include climate change and environmental protection, scientific research and innovation, sustainable development, and international dialogue and cooperation. The strategy underscores the importance of science-based policymaking and highlights the Arctic as a region of global significance, where environmental, economic, and geopolitical developments have far-reaching implications.

In her message to the conference presenting the strategy, La Politica Artica Italiana – Italy and the Arctic: the values of cooperation in a rapidly transforming region, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed that Italy does not regard the Arctic as a remote periphery, but as a strategic region where climate, energy, economy, research, and security increasingly intersect. She pointed to climate-driven developments, including the opening of Arctic maritime routes such as the Northern Sea Route, as factors reshaping global trade and geopolitical dynamics.

Italy’s strategy emphasizes the importance of preserving the Arctic as a region of peace, cooperation, and prosperity, and reaffirms the country’s commitment to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It also highlights Italy’s support for strengthened cooperation through multilateral frameworks, as well as an enhanced role for the European Union and NATO in addressing Arctic-related challenges.

Building on Italy’s long tradition of Arctic research and exploration, from early scientific expeditions to ongoing oceanographic and polar research, the strategy aims to further strengthen Italy’s role as a reliable and constructive partner in promoting cooperation, sustainability, and innovation in high-latitude affairs. The document also underlines the importance of collaboration with Arctic states, Indigenous Peoples, international organizations, and research institutions.

With the adoption of this strategy, Italy joins a growing number of non-Arctic states that have articulated comprehensive Arctic policies, reflecting the increasing global attention to the Arctic and its importance for future international cooperation and governance.

Read the full Italian Arctic Strategy (PDF)

Read President Meloni’s message on the new Italian Strategy for the Arctic

Source: Italian Government Presidency of the Council of Ministers