Italy and Algeria agreed on Wednesday to tighten cooperation against terrorism and better coordinate Mediterranean migrant rescues, while companies from both nations inked fresh deals in energy and telecoms.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at Rome’s 17th‑century Villa Doria Pamphili for the two countries’ latest inter‑governmental forum. A memorandum of understanding commits them to jointly combat terrorist groups and their financing, although the text did not specify particular threats.
To curb the perilous sea crossings from North Africa, the two sides also endorsed a new search‑and‑rescue plan aimed at synchronising operations in the central Mediterranean. Curbing irregular migration has been a cornerstone of Meloni’s right‑wing coalition since it won power in 2022.
Algeria is already Italy’s top African trading partner, accounting for nearly €14 billion ($16.4 billion) in commerce, with Italian investment in the country estimated at €8.5 billion. Energy remains the backbone: earlier this month, Eni ENI.MI and Algerian state producer Sonatrach signed a $1.3 billion production‑sharing contract to develop hydrocarbons. The companies will formalise an additional cooperation pact on the summit’s sidelines.
Gas supplies from Sonatrach, secured under a long‑term contract, have helped Rome offset the loss of Russian deliveries after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Telecoms also featured prominently. Sparkle, the subsea‑cable arm of Telecom Italia (TIM) TLIT.MI—slated for sale to a Treasury‑led consortium later this year—will sign a preliminary deal with Algérie Télécom to lay a new cable linking the two shores.
“Algeria is a strategic partner, and we are working hard to make this partnership broader, stronger and more diversified,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a business forum attended by representatives of more than 400 companies.