Is Italy pursuing a 'rebalancing' in North Africa?
Algeria is set to double liquified natural gas exports to Europe as Algeria finesses ties with Italy.
As Europe continues to reduce its dependence on Russian supplies, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune recently announced ambitious plans to double Algeria's liquified natural gas (LNG) exports to the region. The news came just days after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni traveled to Algiers at the end of January to strengthen the energy relations between Italy and Algeria.
In 2021, Algeria supplied 23% of Italy’s piped gas imports and exported $6.62 billion worth of goods, the vast majority of which was natural gas. This energy relationship grew even more important to Italy in 2022, when Rome signed an agreement to boost imports of natural gas from Algeria. This agreement came in light of Italy’s decision to reduce imports of Russian energy following its invasion of Ukraine.
Aldo Liga, a research fellow at the Middle East and North Africa at the Institute for International Political Studies in Milan, spoke to Al-Monitor that ties between Rome and Algiers predated Algeria’s independence. He said, "This relationship is a pillar of Italy’s foreign policy in North Africa.”
However, there are also signs that Italy is seeking to engage other economic partners in the Maghreb — not least Algeria’s main adversary, Morocco.
