The Embassy of Italy in Washington hosted the annual meeting of the Council for Italy-U.S. Relations in America, after a two-year interruption due to the pandemic. The Ambassador of Italy to the U.S., Mariangela Zappia received participants on the evening of Feb. 6 at Villa Firenze. In addition to the Ambassador, Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia of the State Department, Karen Donfried and Moisés Naím, Distinguished Fellow of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, spoke.

On Feb. 7, the Italian Embassy hosted the Council's workshop, entitled: "Fast Forward: A Brave New World Coming." Vice Council President and Foreign Minister Tajani and the association's honorary president, Pirelli CEO and Executive Vice President Marco Tronchetti Provera, spoke by video link at the opening.

Video messages were sent by Minister of Economy and Finance Giorgetti and Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Lollobrigida, and Minister of Defense Crosetto sent a written message. Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies Anna Ascani participated in the work in Washington.

The closed-door workshop was divided into sessions dedicated to the geopolitical scenario, the challenges and opportunities of new technologies, Italy's role in the international scenario and the promotion of Made in Italy, and the challenges of sustainability and inclusion. Speakers included Italian and U.S. representatives from business and finance, higher education and the media. ConsIUSA Vice President Gianni Riotta closed the proceedings.

"The Italy-USA Council has always been a fruitful forum for dialogue and discussion between high-level representatives of the business, media and higher education worlds of our two countries. This year's meeting again provided an opportunity to reflect on the global geopolitical and economic scenario and to reaffirm the importance of the special relationship between Italy and the United States and the driving role we play together on the international stage," highlighted Ambassador Zappia.

The full program of the proceedings is available here.

The Council for Relations between Italy and the United States is an association founded in 1983 on the initiative of Gianni Agnelli and David Rockefeller to promote bilateral relations through dialogue and discussion among executives from industry, business and finance, managers, professionals, scientists, communication and media figures, and scholars, Italian and American. Marco Tronchetti Provera, CEO and Executive Vice President of Pirelli & C., is currently Honorary Chairman. Domenico Siniscalco, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley, is the current Chairman. Gianni Riotta, Visiting Professor Princeton University, is Executive Vice President.