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] Predictive Analysis: At least two NATO member militaries beyond Italy will likely initiate formal evaluation trials of the Fiocchi counter-drone ammunition following its Enforce Tac 2026 presentation, given the low integration cost and documented Italian Armed Forces involvement. Drone Warfare
• [New] LEAPMOTOR B05 TARGETS EUROPE WITH LOW PRICES Leapmotor's B05 compact hatchback will launch in Europe starting at €26,900 in Italy, undercutting every major rival by at least €10,000, including the Volkswagen ID.3 at €40,990, the BYD Dolphin at €35,000 and the MG4 at €34,000. Apple Podcasts
• [New] Earlier on Wednesday, the Italian national statistics bureau confirmed that Italy posted a budget deficit of 3.1% of GDP in 2025, dashing Rome's hopes of exiting an EU disciplinary procedure in 2026 for its excessive deficit. Euronews
• [New] By 2030, Italy could be dealing with hundreds of thousands of tons of panel waste, significantly impacting collection and treatment systems. ExpoClima
• [New] Launched in 2022, GCAP is a trilateral initiative between Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy aimed at fielding a sixth-generation stealth combat aircraft by 2035. Ronin's Grips Analytics
• [New] Italy has delayed coal phase-out to 2038. youth4planet
• [New] Italy's national carrier ITA Airways reports it is expecting to deliver more than 7,100 tons of fuel savings and 22,100 tons of CO2 across 2025 and 2026 as a result of deploying SITA's OptiFlight AI-powered tool. GreenAir News
• [New] At least one additional NATO European navy operating a ski-jump or short-deck carrier could publicly express interest in the TB-3 or request a demonstration, correlating with the visibility generated by Italy's announcement and the TB-3's NATO exercise performance record. Drone Warfare
• [New] Italy will need to speed up the rollout of reforms if it is to benefit from all the resources allocated to it before the deadline for disbursements in 2026. Coface
• [New] The consolidation of public finances will proceed gradually and could enable Italy to exit the European excessive deficit procedure - initiated in 2024 - as early as 2026. Coface
• [New] The Italian economy will remain exposed to the fragile demand and recovery of its European neighbours, given that over 55% of its goods exports are destined for the rest of the EU. Coface
• [New] The Italian economy is expected to continue its modest recovery in 2026. Coface
• [New] In 2026, Italian export growth will increasingly shift from non-European regions. Circolo B2B
• [New] Italy has delayed its coal phase-out to 2038. youth4planet
• [New] In February of 2026, Italy introduced a surcharge on the regional tax on production activities (IRAP) for energy companies that would apply from 2026 to 2027. Tax Foundation
• [New] Italy has delayed the permanent closure of its four coal-fired power plants to 2038, after the war in the Middle East caused the cost of producing electricity from gas to spike. Climate Home News
• [New] The Italian economy will grow by 0.5% in 2026 (against the 0.6% estimated in December). Il Sole 24 ORE
• [New] Italy, the Netherlands and Spain confirm that they will be sending warships to defend Cyprus, including the Cristobal Colon frigate. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
• The state aid ruling on Italy's Decreto Bollette, which will set the precedent for whether other Member States can replicate carbon cost reimbursement measures. Capstone DC

Last updated: 01 May 2026