As part of the Indo-Mediterranean Initiative launched by CNKY last year at the Ara Pacis in Rome, the Office of the Chief Representative in Italy of the Indian Chamber of Commerce has inaugurated a new cycle of meetings under the label Indo-Mediterranean Dialogues.
On 30 September 2025, the panel “The Indo-Mediterranean Corridor: the role of Italian ports for IMEC and India’s trade corridors” took place at the historical venue of San Salvatore in Lauro, in the heart of Rome.
The discussion was framed around the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced during the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023, where Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni represented Italy as one of the founding members. Trieste has been widely considered a natural hub for IMEC, linking Italy’s and Europe’s industrial core to global markets.
The timing of the event was particularly significant: on 1 October 2025, the India–European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) entered into force. The deal foresees investments worth $100 billion in India over the next 15 years, in exchange for tariff reductions on about 98% of traded goods. With Switzerland—the largest economy and most populous EFTA member—sharing borders with Italy, the question of dedicated port access for Indo-European trade is strategically relevant.
This panel, therefore, was not only about Trieste and IMEC, but also about how Italy can leverage its Mediterranean position to benefit from multiple trade corridors linked to India, including the new EFTA–India TEPA.
The Indo-Mediterranean Dialogues event held on 30 September 2025 in Rome attracted notable attention from national and international media, confirming its relevance on the geopolitical and economic stage.
- IANSlive reported that leading experts gathered in Rome to discuss “the role of Italian ports for IMEC and India’s other trade corridors,” highlighting the involvement of institutional and trade stakeholders.
- Agenzia Nova covered the event under the theme “Infrastructure: the Indo-Mediterranean Dialogues begin — focus on the IMEC corridor,” emphasizing the strategic importance of the discussions for Italy’s infrastructure planning.
- The Economic Times ran a detailed piece titled “IMEC: Italy and India, a corridor linking the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific,” situating the Rome panel within the broader narrative of India’s trade ambitions and supply chain realignments in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Formiche published an article explaining how Italy’s role in IMEC helps connect the Atlantic to the Indo-Pacific through the Indo-Mediterranean space, underlining the maritime and logistical dimensions of the corridor.
Together, these outlets reflect a cross-section of interest — from trade and infrastructure to international relations — reinforcing the visibility and resonance of the event across different audiences.
