Global Scans · Italy · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: The Italian economy is already in a fragile state and a now likely period of political uncertainty would be likely to do further damage. In particular, Italy's banking industry is seen as vulnerable to a loss of confidence. Italy could be the next domino to fall out of the EU through increasing populist party support.

• [New] If specious maglev and Hyperloop proposals are discounted, operating speeds of 350 km/h or higher were or are still on the agenda in Italy, South Korea and Spain, while Chinese Fuxing trainsets are expected to start running at 400 km/h in the coming months. Railway Gazette International
• [New] Countries like Spain and Italy already have storage targets, and at recent COP 29 UN climate talks a group of governments pledged to increase global storage capacity sixfold by 2030. Greenpeace International
• [New] The greater the distance from Russia, the less the spend, with Spain and Italy both investment laggards, a category Britain could soon find itself in. The National
• [New] A Monocle feature looks at how warming conditions in Sicily, Italy, are creating new opportunities for tropical crops, including coffee. Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine
• [New] Germany, Japan, and Italy have big orange bars suggesting slice-led deindustrialization, which could be caused by offshoring some manufacturing stages. Richard Baldwin Substack
• [New] Among major economies, Germany, France, and Italy are projected to grow by just 0.6% in 2026. Natixis - Natixis CIB
• [New] A new study finds that nanomaterial-based batteries could help Italy store more renewable energy by improving energy density, charging speed, cycle life, and safety. Azonano
• [New] Italy could soon join Pax Silica, the US-led initiative designed to secure the supply chains underpinning artificial intelligence and other strategic technologies. Decode39
• [New] Italy's accession could be announced in the near future. Decode39
• [New] Strongly backed by both the State Department and the National Security Council, Italy's participation could help ease recent strains in the relationship between Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump. Decode39
• [New] Italian national rail operator Trenitalia will extend the booking window for its long-distance and high-speed services. AndyBTravels
• The EU Erasmus + - funded MAPPING project, coordinated by Italian non-profit Deafal ETS, will develop a free, open platform for gathering and comparing agroforestry data and best practices across regions. Agroforestry
• EU deforestation regulations will likely reshape import sources, favoring sustainable production and increasing reliance on regional soybean cultivation in France, Ukraine, and Italy. Market Data Forecast
• AI-based climb profile optimization will help ITA Airways, Italy's national carrier, to reduce fuel consumption. WebWire
• Several Schengen countries will maintain temporary internal border controls in 2026, including Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and others. Retekess
• The Todaro-class submarines built by the German-Italian Submarine Programme plans to sell boats to Qatar. Stars and Stripes
• Italy's oil price shock exposure is deemed to be medium-high, with effects seen due to imported energy, transport costs, chemicals, plastics and energy-intensive manufacturing; though its diversified SME base limits the risk of a single-sector shock. LinkedIn
• Vicenza currently ranks among Italy's most expensive cities, with inflation adding a projected €855 a year to household budgets. www.army.mil
• EU chemical producers are announcing reductions in ammonia and fertiliser output; projected household heating bills across central Europe are running 45% above last year; and energy-intensive steel, aluminium and glass producers in Germany, Belgium and Italy are idling furnaces. European Council on Foreign Relations

Last updated: 10 July 2026