Italy and Libya discuss enhancing energy ties
Giorgia?Minister Meloni, Italian Prime Minister and her Libyan counterpart Abdulhamid Dbeibah met on Thursday to discuss strengthening the energy cooperation. This comes at a moment when Italy is trying to diversify its energy supply due to the turmoil that has been occurring in the Gulf.
The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran has sparked a surge in global fuel prices. This is especially true for Italy.
Meloni's Rome office reported that the leaders discussed ways to?further strengthen the already solid bilateral collaboration, with special reference to economic relations.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to managing migration.
Libya is Rome's largest?supplier? of crude oil. It accounts for almost a fifth?of Rome's total imports of crude oil. Libyan gas exports fell to 1 billion cubic meters in 2025 from 1.4 billion cubic metres in the year 2024.
The main reason for the drop in production was the supply-side constraint in Libya, including the rising domestic demand and the repeated disruptions of infrastructure.
Italian members of the influential security committee visited Libya late in April and discussed with Dbeibah "increased investments to allow a significant increase in Libyan production, and, therefore, exports to Italy", according a statement.
Italian state-controlled company Eni has been in Libya since 1959. It is the leading international operator in Libya, with a?equity?production of 162,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2025. Three development projects are currently being implemented, and two will begin in 2026. Reporting by Angelo Amante, Francesca Landini and Alison Williams; Editing by Alvise Armini and Alison Williams
(source: Reuters)
