The Italian Ambassador in Tunis, Fabrizio Saggio, yesterday inaugurated the work of the seminar “Ecological transition”, organized by the Agency for the Promotion of Italian Business in Tunis, with the participation of 24 Italian companies operating in the sectors energy, water treatment, industrial automation and infrastructure, and more than 100 qualified local operators.
In his speech, Ambassador Saggio underlined that the international situation and the effects of climate change oblige us to redouble our efforts in order to reduce the environmental impact and achieve the transition from polluting sources to clean and renewable energy sources. . “As always, in the face of challenges of this magnitude, which require a general revision of the models of consumption, production and treatment of industrial and urban waste, cooperation between our two countries plays a crucial role. Italy and Tunisia share the same objectives,” said the Italian Ambassador.
The event also confirmed Italy’s will, as Tunisia’s leading trading partner in 2022, to continue investing in cooperation with Tunisia in the renewable energy sector and to promote initiatives aimed at fostering technology transfer. , technical assistance and financial assistance. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the successful example of this cooperation in the energy sector, the Elmed project, launched by the Italian company Terna in partnership with the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (Steg). “This is an extraordinary and historic project. The project of the century”, underlined the Ambassador, specifying that the strategic infrastructure consists of a submarine electrical interconnection cable with a length of approximately 230 km, which will connect for the first time not only Italy and Tunisia, but also two continents, Europe and Africa. It should be noted that the initiative aims to act as a multiplier of opportunities in the renewable energy sector and to enhance the strategic position of Tunisia, which could become a nerve center in the heart of the Mediterranean and a regional energy hub.
The seminar was also an opportunity to confirm Italy’s participation, with the Italian Development Cooperation Agency, in WaterExpo/International Exhibition of Water Activities and Technologies, organized under the aegis of the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture. The Italian Agency will share the skills developed in the sector thanks to the public-private partnership that characterizes its programs, aimed at the development of techniques for the efficient use of water in arid contexts or characterized by water stress and reuse. wastewater for agricultural purposes.
During his participation in the event, Ambassador Saggio indicated that the renewable energy sector will also be at the center of the Business Forum between Italy and Tunisia, announced by the Vice-President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs and of International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, during his recent visit to Tunis. “We are going to bring together the main Italian and Tunisian economic and institutional players in order to further deepen the synergies between our two countries also in this strategic sector”, he concluded.