Washington, U.S.- Italy Dialogue on Trusted Technologies for Democracies

The Embassy of Italy in the United States yesterday hosted the "U.S. - Italy Dialogue on Trusted Technologies for Democracies", organised jointly with the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy of the Purdue University and the SERICS Foundation. The event featured a day of discussions on the global challenges of technology reliability and digital security, bringing together senior Italian and U.S. officials and distinguished representatives from industry and academia.

In his opening remarks, the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Marco Peronaci, noted that "no democracy can secure the technological future alone. By taking action together, trusted partners can reduce the risks resulting from dangerous dependencies and strengthen our democracies. This meeting is an invaluable opportunity to deepen coordination between Italy and the United States, thus aligning our priorities".

The Ambassador also held a one-to-one conversation with Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, during which they discussed how to advance the strategic partnership between Italy and the United States in the technology sector. Kratsios also illustrated the U.S. Administration's main policy lines to take action on trusted technologies.

The speakers who took part in the event included, on the U.S. side, Darío Gil, Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy, and Joseph Jewell, Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology. On the Italian side, Hon. Giorgio Mule', Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, and Senator Mariastella Gelmini, President of the Parliamentary Intergroup "Friends of America", participated online through video messages. Ambassador Armando Varricchio, Special Envoy for Innovation and New Technologies of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Prof. Alessandro Armando, Director of SERICS, and Luca Nicoletti, Head of the Industrial Programs Service of the National Cybersecurity Agency, were present in Washington, together with Roberto Viola, Director General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology at the European Commission.

During the event, Prof. Roberto Baldoni, Cybersecurity and Technology Advisor to the Embassy in Washington and Professor at La Sapienza University of Rome, presented his white paper entitled "Technology Must Advance Freedom: Diplomacy Architecture for Trusted Technologies", published by the Krach Institute. The paper emphasizes the importance of industrial cooperation between allies and the shift of emerging technologies from laboratories to the market, within shared ecosystems.

The day concluded with a new high-level panel of the "Villa Firenze Talks", hosted by Ambassador Peronaci at his residence. Following a presentation by Sean Cairncross, U.S. National Cybersecurity Director, a conversation led by Gianni Riotta, one of the most authoritative Italian journalists and a Professor at Princeton University and LUISS University, was held with Dario Gil, Ambassador Armando Varricchio, and Keith Krach, President of the Krach Institute.