Italy and the United States took another step toward closer economic and technological cooperation yesterday, September 21, signing a new Memorandum of Understanding on critical minerals in New York.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the agreement on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The memorandum creates an Italy-U.S. Technical Working Group responsible for turning the partnership into concrete initiatives.
The agreement focuses on making critical-mineral supply chains more secure and diversified. Italy and the United States will exchange information and expertise while encouraging public and private investment in mining, processing and recycling. The latter is particularly significant for Italy, which has developed important industrial expertise in recovering and recycling strategic materials.
The memorandum also addresses critical-mineral pricing. Italy and the United States intend to cooperate with international partners on mechanisms designed to create more transparent and competitive markets.
Critical minerals and rare earths have become essential to a wide range of strategic industries, including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, energy technologies and defense. Reliable access to these resources is increasingly important to both economic competitiveness and technological security.
The agreement builds on months of bilateral cooperation. Italy participated in the U.S.-led FORGE initiative launched in Washington in February and joined PAX Silica on July 31, an American initiative focused on securing supply chains for AI and semiconductors.
The new bilateral framework will also complement the critical-minerals agreement reached between the European Union and the United States in April and support broader G7 cooperation.
For Italy and the United States, yesterday’s signing adds an increasingly important industrial dimension to a longstanding transatlantic partnership.
