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] At approximately 230,000 gross tons, Carnival Destiny will become the largest ship ever built by Fincantieri and the largest cruise ship ever constructed in Italy, representing another significant engineering milestone for the Italian shipbuilder. MarineLink
• [New] Italy is leading a rearguard effort to water down environmental rules in the EU's next €2 trillion budget, opening a new divide that threatens to further complicate already thorny negotiations. FDD
• [New] The big 2026 story for EV incentives in Italy is structural reorientation: the new 2026-2030 Automotive Fund (1, €6 billion) explicitly steps back from consumer purchase grants in favour of industrial support. Eleport
• [New] Italy's oil bill alone could reach around 24 billion euros in 2026, up by about 4.5 billion euros from last year. Libya Update News
• [New] Total energy costs in Italy are expected to rise in 2026, reaching between 57 and 58 billion euros. Libya Update News
• [New] BYD says it plans 3000 flash-charging stations across Europe within a year, open to any car with a CCS2 plug, starting in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK and the Netherlands. Eleport
• [New] The diving tragedy in the Maldives - which claimed the lives of four Italian divers inside an underwater cave, followed by the death of a Maldivian navy diver - has renewed warnings from experts about the risks of cave diving without proper training, planning and specialised equipment. The Guardian
• [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
• 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
• Italy could soon join Pax Silica, the US-led initiative designed to secure the supply chains underpinning artificial intelligence and other strategic technologies. Decode39
• Italy's accession could be announced in the near future. Decode39
• 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
• Italian national rail operator Trenitalia will extend the booking window for its long-distance and high-speed services. AndyBTravels

Last updated: 17 July 2026