Early morning light on the Mediterranean coastline has a way of blurring the boundary between sea and sky, where distant ripples carry the faint promise of motion to come. In that meeting of elements, there is a subtle reminder that all things — trade and tide, friendship and strategy — move at their own pace, shaped by currents beneath as well as the winds above. The same delicate interplay of forces seems to guide the evolving strategic convergence between Italy and Germany, two nations whose shared geography in the heart of Europe belies the vast landscapes of interest and influence they seek to traverse together.

At its core, this convergence reflects a broader response to shifting global realities — not merely a convergence of convenience but a weaving together of economic lanes, industrial imperatives, and political intentions. In recent years, Berlin has reassessed its posture in a world marked by fragmented supply chains and geopolitical tension, and increasingly sees Rome not as a tactical partner alone, but as a centre of gravity in Europe’s southern and external projection. Italian ports like Trieste and Genoa, long gateways between the Mediterranean and the European heartland, have become more than logistical hubs; they are viewed as strategic assets linking Germany’s industrial core to routes that stretch eastward and beyond.

This shared vision extends into grand designs such as the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a proposed connective artery first shaped at the 2023 G20 summit that aims to bind continents in a lattice of rail, maritime, and energy links. Italy and Germany have backed the corridor not merely for its infrastructure promise but for its role in de‑risking supply chains and fostering diversified connectivity — a potential hedge against geopolitical friction on other fronts. Though the IMEC’s progress has faced geopolitical headwinds, its very proposition underscores the kind of long‑haul thinking that Rome and Berlin are increasingly aligning behind.

In the quiet chambers where diplomats speak of shared purpose, this alignment also finds expression in how Italy and Germany approach the delicate matter of critical minerals — raw materials whose names, like lithium and cobalt, carry the weight of future technologies and whose supply lines have become strategic in their own right. Ahead of a major meeting on critical minerals hosted by the United States, the two countries jointly submitted a policy guidance paper to the European Commission urging a closer, coordinated EU approach to securing these materials. This initiative — crafted by Italian and German foreign ministers underpinned by commitments from industry leaders — reflects a shared desire to mitigate strategic dependencies and strengthen secure supply chains not just for Europe’s industry but for its burgeoning green and digital transitions.

Here, too, the subtle motion of cooperation contrasts with the blunt certainties of market volatility. The European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act has set ambitious benchmarks for domestic extraction, processing and recycling of strategic minerals by 2030, including targets for lithium and cobalt that feed batteries for electric vehicles and sustainable energy systems. In March 2025, the European Commission unveiled 47 strategic projects to bolster these capacities across member states, including Italy and Germany, signalling a continental embrace of resilience over reliance on distant suppliers.

Yet these meetings in corridors of power are mirrored by conversations in industrial halls and seaside container yards, where manufacturers and logisticians ponder the rhythms of commerce that will sustain Europe’s competitive edge. For both Italy and Germany, a shared Atlantic reset — one that seeks not to rebuff transatlantic ties but to strengthen European autonomy while sustaining partnerships with the United States and like‑minded nations — underscores much of this alignment. The path they carve together is, in that sense, not a line drawn in opposition but a path of mutual reinforcement.

In quieter moments, as sunlight warms port cranes and Alpine passes alike, one can sense how these strategic conversations are less about singular declarations than about patient weaving. From IMEC’s promise of bridges across continents to joint appeals for secure raw materials, the Italy–Germany axis reflects a layered choreography of interests, each step shaped by the calm momentum of shared purpose in a time of uncertainty.

In direct, factual terms: Italy and Germany are deepening strategic cooperation on multiple fronts, including support for the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) to enhance supply chain connectivity, and jointly advocating for stronger EU coordination on critical raw materials to secure supply chains essential for energy transition and industrial needs. The two countries recently submitted a joint policy guidance document to the European Commission outlining proposals to reduce strategic dependencies in critical minerals and promote secure supply chains through EU action, aligned with broader commitments made at their bilateral summit. In addition, the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act and associated strategic projects aim to increase domestic extraction, processing, and recycling capacities for key minerals, reinforcing the continent’s industrial resilience.

AI Image Disclaimer

Visuals are AI‑generated and serve as conceptual representations.

Sources (Media Names Only)

Decode39 Atlantic Council European Union Commission Reports