VENICE – «Europe must act quickly to secure its strategic supply chains». This was stated today in Venice by Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy.
The visit confirmed that Porto Marghera has been identified by Italy for the future European system for the storage and handling of critical raw materials, considered strategic for the industry and economic security of the European Union.
At the centre of the discussion were the developments of the European RESourceEU plan and of the pilot project dedicated to the stockpiling of critical raw materials and rare earths, initiatives launched by the European Union to strengthen the resilience of supply chains in a context marked by geopolitical tensions and growing global industrial competition. According to the minister, Italy is coordinating the European working group on the logistical and organisational aspects of the project and has offered to host the first European strategic raw materials storage centre. In this scenario, the Venetian port system is considered one of the main national logistics hubs, together with the ports of Trieste and Ravenna.
Minister Urso, after explaining that «… Europe must act quickly», once again indicated Porto Marghera as the «natural gateway to European markets», thanks to its geographical position, logistics capacity and the presence of companies already active in the recycling and processing of strategic materials. According to the minister, the project could attract new industrial investments linked to European raw material supply chains.
For this reason too, CGIL, CISL and UIL met Minister Adolfo Urso over the project, asking that the initiative should not be limited to logistics storage, but become part of a broader industrial project for the Venice area.
According to the trade union representatives, the minister responded positively to the request to integrate the logistics hub and the industrial hub into a single strategy, while recalling that the project is still being defined and remains subject to approval by the European Commission.
For Matteo Gasparato, president of the Port System Authority of the Northern Adriatic Sea, the minister’s visit represents «an important sign of attention» towards the Port of Venice. Gasparato described Porto Marghera as «unique in Italy», capable of integrating industry, logistics and port operations, underlining that in 2025 traffic grew in both cargo and containers despite international tensions. The president also highlighted investments in infrastructure and logistics connections, adding that Porto Marghera «can become a European hub for the green transition, hydrogen and critical raw materials».