English for Diplomacy

domenica 25 ottobre 2026

How have IT and the Internet changed the work of Italian consulates and embassies as regards public diplomacy and traditional diplomacy?

The integration of Information Technology (IT) and the Internet has profoundly altered the operational landscape of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale - Farnesina). It has shifted the execution of diplomacy from a closed, state-to-state bureaucratic model to a multi-channel, accelerated framework that directly engages foreign and domestic citizens.

1. Transforming Public Diplomacy (Digital and Cultural Soft Power)

Public diplomacy aimed at a foreign public or publics – traditionally restricted to physical cultural center events, print distributions, and official statements – is now interactive and immediate. The internet bypasses traditional media filters, allowing Italian embassies to directly project national soft power (culture, art, food, fashion, lifestyle and policy).

De-bureaucratization of Language: Italian diplomats have actively discarded rigid bureaucratic prose in favor of direct communication optimized for brevity and clarity and rapid video formats. To support this, once a candidate successfully passes the MAECI diplomatic exam and enters the Ministry on a probationary trial period, they undergo mandatory professional training. The training modules are provided by the Scuola Nazionale dell'Amministrazione (SNA) (National School of Administration), which in collaboration with MAECI mandates specific social media management training for its global personnel.
Virtual Cultural Spaces: Rather than depending solely on physical exhibitions at the local Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Italy leverages specialized platforms to democratize access to its heritage globally.

Real Examples:

The Italian Embassy in Washington D.C.: Under leadership like Ambassador Marco Peronaci, the Embassy in Washington actively runs cross-platform campaigns on YouTube, Instagram, and X. They use short, high-production 2-minute videos to promote Italian tech, food, and historical ties, transforming geopolitical messaging into accessible public storytelling.
The Farnesina Collection on Google Arts & Culture: Italy successfully launched a massive digital mapping project of its contemporary art asset collection. Through the Google Arts & Culture Farnesina Project, anyone globally can take virtual tours of the ministry's palace and artwork, creating a highly effective, decentralized cultural soft-power vehicle.

Embassies in Central Asia and the Eastern Partnership: Comparative academic research highlights that Italian embassies in these strategic regions heavily exploit dedicated Facebook matrices to systematically highlight Italian lifestyle (Made in Italy) and political alignment, closely matching real-time EU foreign policy strategies.

2. Transforming Traditional Diplomacy and Consular Services

Traditional diplomacy relies on core negotiation, security communications, and citizen support. IT has dramatically condensed response times—shifting crisis management from days to hours—while fundamentally rebuilding the backend infrastructure of consular networks – the invisible foundation of software, websites, and mobile apps that runs on servers, handles business logic, and manages data.

Accelerated Multilateralism and Secure Messaging: Traditional diplomatic cables have evolved. Italian envoys utilize secure cloud-based networks, encrypted communication platforms, and video conferencing to align with the EU, UN, or G7 networks instantaneously, optimizing resources while facing rising cybersecurity demands.
Consular Digitalization: Consulates have fundamentally automated standard administrative tasks, shifting initial application workflows online while removing or reducing the logistical requirement for citizens to visit a physical building except for identity verification or final document pickup

Real Examples:

The "Fast It" Consular Portal: The Farnesina’s Fast It Portal serves as the primary gateway for Italian citizens residing abroad. By integrating with Italy's unified digital identification protocols (SPID / CIE), Italians can register under the mandatory AIRE (Registry of Italians Residing Abroad), update addresses, and submit vital certification data completely online.
Farnesina Global Network Chatbot: In response to heavy volumes of routine information queries, the Ministry introduced a coordinated Global Network AI Chatbot Assistant across its official portal infrastructure. This automates the processing of high-frequency visa regulations and procedural queries, freeing up human resources for strategic negotiations and complex legal cases.
Crisis Coordination via the "Viaggiare Sicuri" Infrastructure: Managed by the Crisis Unit (Unità di Crisi), the Ministry integrates real-time geolocation data from mobile applications and web databases to track, notify, and evacuate citizens during sudden geopolitical crises or natural disasters.

The future of the space economy

The global space economy reached approximately $550 billion to $626 billion in 2025/2026, according to recent data from the OECD and Novaspace / Orbital Radar, with forecasts pointing toward $1 trillion to $1.8 trillion by the mid-2030s.

Key Market Size and Revenue Metrics

Global Revenues: Estimated between $550 billion and $626 billion, continuing an annual growth rate of roughly 7% to 12%.
Commercial vs. Government Split: Commercial activity accounts for about 78% of the total market, while government and institutional spending make up 22%.
Upstream vs. Downstream:

The upstream market (manufacturing, launch services) is valued around €75 billion globally, heavily driven by defense and institutional demand.
The downstream market (services, GNSS, Earth observation, satellite communications) is vastly larger at roughly €489–€490 billion.

Public and Private Investments

Public Budgets: Global public investment in space reached roughly €119 billion (with US dominance at ~58%, China at ~15%, and Europe at ~11%). European space budgets grew 12% to reach €13.5 billion, led by Germany.
Private Investment: Global private venture and equity investment surged by 60% to about €11.7 billion ($11–$13 billion range), though European ventures experienced a slight dip to €1.4 billion (-8%).
Defense & Dual-Use: Military and sovereign space spending has accelerated significantly, accounting for 46.3% of US space allocations and driving new dual-use investments in Europe through agencies like the ESA and EUSPA.

Satellites, Launches, and Infrastructure

Operational Fleet: Over 15,000 operational satellites are in orbit (mid-2026), with private operators responsible for 88% of recent launches.
Launch Activity: The sector saw over 324 launches (+25%) and the deployment of more 4,556 satellites (+58%) in the preceding tracking period.
Key Challenges: Orbital congestion has reached 45,860 tracked debris objects, and GNSS/signal interference has risen sharply in transportation sectors.

Sources https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/the-space-economy-at-a-glance-2026_cbf9b240-en.html

https://orbitalradar.com/space-economy and download the report

https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Business_with_ESA/ESA_releases_2026_Space_Economy_Report

Italy’s expanding space industry architecture

The Italian space economy is valued at approximately €4 billion to €4.5 billion in annual turnover (revenue), with total production value reaching up to €8 billion according to joint research by Istat and the Italian Space Agency (ASI)

Key Industry Figures

Companies: Over 400 specialized businesses operate in the country.
Workforce: The sector employs around 13,500 to 14,000 direct workers, which expands to over 23,000 employees when including all space-related activities.
Economic Impact: The sector generates roughly €2 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA), contributing about 0.1% to Italy's national GDP.
Trade Balance: Italy is a strong net exporter in this sector, with €2.1 billion in exports against €1.6 billion in imports.

Structural Overview

Market Segments: The Upstream segment (manufacturing, launch vehicles, satellites) is highly dominant, accounting for over 14,000 workers and €4.1 billion of the production value. Meanwhile, the Downstream segment (earth observation data, satellite communications) is rapidly expanding, with the Italian Earth Observation market alone reaching €340 million.
Company Profile: The ecosystem is heavily led by Large Enterprises and Multinational Corporations, which generate 78% to 90% of the industry's total Value Added. However, they are supported by a deeply integrated network of small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) and academic spin-offs.
Strategic Investment: Italy operates under a dedicated "Strategic Space Economy Plan" involving a combined public and regional investment pool of around €4.7 billion, making Italy one of the top contributors to the European Space Agency (ESA)

Sources https://www.infodata.ilsole24ore.com/2025/11/08/quanto-vale-la-space-economy-e-in-italia-e-nel-mondo/

https://www.istat.it/storage/comunicato-stampa/Sintesi-stampa_risultati_space-economy.pdf

The Italian space sector has solidified its position as one of the few global players covering the entire end-to-end aerospace value chain. The industry’s growth is fundamentally anchored by a distinct structural division:

The Upstream Dominance: Over €4.1 billion of Italy's space production value is concentrated in the Upstream segment (manufacturing components, assembly, integration, and rocket propulsion). Workers in this segment exhibit exceptionally high labor productivity—generating about 80% higher value-added per capita than the national industrial average.
Geographic Hubs: Aerospace operations are heavily clustered into specific geographic regions. Approximately 90% of the industry’s economic output is concentrated within three regional powerhouses: Lazio (Rome hub), Piedmont (Turin hub), and Lombardy (Milan hub).
The Powerhouse Consolidation: While Italy features a rapidly growing startup culture and a rich fabric of small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs), Multinational Groups and Large Integrators generate roughly 90% of the sector's total Value Added.

Principal Italian Space Companies

The ecosystem is spearheaded by massive institutional groups, specialized medium-sized integrators, and pioneering "New Space" scale-ups.

1. The Anchors and Systems Integrators (the giants)

Leonardo S.p.A.: Headquartered in Rome, Leonardo is a global aerospace and defense titan and the ultimate cornerstone of Italy's space presence. It controls vast supply chains and directly participates in major international civilian and military space programs.
Thales Alenia Space (Italy): A highly critical joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%). Operating mainly out of Rome and Turin, it is a premier European manufacturer of satellites, scientific payloads, and orbital infrastructure. It has built a significant portion of the pressurized modules for the International Space Station (ISS) and is heavily involved in NASA's Artemis Lunar programs.
Telespazio: Another key joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%). With its headquarters in Rome, it is a pioneer in downstream space services, including satellite communications, geo-information data, and managing operations at major spaceports like the Fucino Space Centre in Abruzzo.

2. Propulsion & Small Satellites (The Mid-Cap Market Leaders)

Avio S.p.A.: Based in Colleferro (Rome), Avio is a publicly-traded world leader in space propulsion and launcher systems. They are the prime contractor and builder of Europe’s Vega light-launch vehicle family and manufacture the solid-propellant boosters used by the Ariane rockets.
SITAEL S.p.A.: Headquartered in Apulia, SITAEL is the largest privately-owned space company in Italy. They specialize in the turnkey development of advanced small satellites (nanosatellites and microsatellites), electric propulsion systems, and advanced instruments for Earth observation.

3. Logistical and New Space Pioneers (The Scale-Ups)

ALTEC S.p.A. (Aerospace Logistics Technology Engineering Company): A public-private entity based in Turin, owned jointly by Thales Alenia Space and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). It serves as Italy’s center of excellence for engineering and logistics support for the ISS, astronaut training, and planetary rover operations (such as ExoMars).
D-Orbit: Founded in Como, D-Orbit is a prominent success story of the Italian "New Space" economy. They specialize in space logistics and orbital transportation, utilizing their ION Satellite Carrier to deploy fleets of small satellites precisely into their designated orbits.
Argotec: Based in Turin, Argotec is an engineering company globally recognized for manufacturing highly resilient deep-space small satellites. Notably, their LICIACube microsatellite was the sole witness to NASA’s historic DART asteroid-deflection mission.

Sources https://ilbolive.unipd.it/it/news/societa/quanto-pesa-spazio-nelleconomia-italiana-nuova

https://www.infodata.ilsole24ore.com/2025/11/08/quanto-vale-la-space-economy-e-in-italia-e-nel-mondo/

Growing economic, political and military competition in space in 2026

The global space economy has grown to approximately $626 billion, driven by a combination of commercial expansion, rising defense budgets, and strategic rivalry between major powers.

Economic Competition and Market Scale

Market Size & Growth: The space economy is valued at over $626 billion (with commercial activities making up roughly 78%) and is projected to scale toward $1 trillion by the early 2030s.
The "Winner-Takes-All" Dynamic: Commercial launch services and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet exhibit heavy consolidation, led by dominant private actors like SpaceX (Starlink).
State-Orchestrated Competition: China is actively deploying a coordinated commercial-space plan—opening state-financed testing facilities and research assets to private companies to accelerate its global supply chain footprint.
Regional Investments: European space budgets rose to €13.5 billion (led by Germany), though Europe continues to face a gap in scaling private-venture capital compared to the U.S. and China. Japan is also expanding its launch capacity targets toward 30+ annual launches.

Political and Military Competition

Defense Dominance: Institutional and military demand drives a massive share of upstream space spending (accounting for roughly 46% of U.S. space expenditure and 25% in France).
Counter-Space and Security: Geopolitical tensions have accelerated the development of counter-space capabilities (technologies, assets, or techniques designed to deny, disrupt, degrade, or destroy an adversary's space-based systems and satellites or defend one’s own systems). Nations are investing heavily in satellite protection, proximity operations, GNSS interference mitigation, and resilient orbital infrastructure.
Orbital Congestion & Rules: With over 15,000 operational satellites in orbit and soaring numbers of annual launches, regulators face mounting pressure over spectrum allocation, debris mitigation (over 45,000 tracked objects), and norms of behavior in space.

Sources https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/from-earth-to-space-a-new-age-of-competition-226544

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/28/the-guardian-view-on-the-new-space-race-humanity-risks-exporting-its-old-politics-to-the-moon

The private sector and space

In 2026, the private sector dominates the global space economy, managing nearly 88% of all satellite launches and capturing record-breaking private investments of over €11 billion.

Launch Dominance: Private operators execute the vast majority of all orbital deployments.
Investment Surge: Private capital funding rounds rebound sharply, led by substantial late-stage raises.
Commercial Stations: Ventures accelerate development of private orbital outposts to replace the retiring ISS.
Mega-Constellations: Competitive deployment expands low-Earth orbit satellite internet networks globally.
Lunar Logistics: Commercial contractors provide critical landing and infrastructure hardware for Artemis missions.
Defense Collaboration: National security and intelligence agencies heavily procure commercial satellite networks.
In-Space Manufacturing: Companies pioneer zero-gravity industrial production of semiconductors and advanced materials.
Service Transition: The space industry shifts from one-off hardware sales to recurring, cloud-linked services.

In terms of absolute valuation, revenue, and pure-play focus on the space economy, the three biggest privately-held companies are:

1. SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.)

Valuation: ~$2.46 trillion (Note: SpaceX transitioned to a highly anticipated public listing under ticker SPCX in June 2026, but it remains the absolute benchmark of commercial space.)
Core Focus: Heavy-lift reusable launch vehicles (Falcon 9 and Starship) and global satellite broadband via Starlink.
Impact: Controls over 80% of private-company orbital launches and generates over $10 billion annually from its satellite constellation alone.

2. Blue Origin

Valuation: ~$130 billion – $140 billion
Core Focus: Heavy-lift orbital launch systems (New Glenn), lunar landers for NASA's Artemis program, and commercial space stations.
Impact: Backed by Jeff Bezos, the company secured a historic $10 billion funding round to scale mass production of its infrastructure and successfully completed the inaugural flights of its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket.

3. ICEYE

Valuation / Financial Standing: ~$12 billion
Core Focus: Earth observation via the world's largest synthetic aperture radar (SAR) micro-satellite constellation.
Impact: Headquartered in Europe, it is the highest-grossing independent, privately-held satellite data operator, pulling in hundreds of millions in annual revenue from sovereign defense, intelligence, and emergency management sectors

The need for a new international treaty for the regulation of space

A new international treaty for outer space is needed because current agreements—designed in the 1960s—do not cover modern commercial industries, private space mining, heavy satellite congestion, or active debris removal.

Key Limits of Current Treaties

The foundational Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and its partner agreements (like the Rescue Agreement, Liability Convention, and Registration Convention) focus heavily on Cold War state actions and nuclear non-proliferation rather than private enterprise:

Resource Extraction and Mining: The Outer Space Treaty bans national sovereignty claims over celestial bodies, leaving a gray area over whether private companies can own or sell mined resources (though countries like the U.S. have passed unilateral laws to allow it). The 1979 Moon Agreement attempted to restrict private resource rights, but major spacefaring nations refused to ratify it.
Space Traffic Management (STM): Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is crowded with thousands of private satellites and commercial constellations. Current laws lack binding, real-time rules to avoid collisions or assign clear operational priorities.
Orbital Debris: There are no comprehensive, legally binding global rules for cleaning up dead satellites, spent rocket stages, or fragment debris.
Commercial and Dual-Use Safety: Responsibility for private-sector actions falls back on home governments under Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty, creating a patchwork of national rules instead of a unified global standard. Proposed Solutions and Alternatives

Multilateral Negotiations: Organizations like the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNOOSA) continue to debate updated guidelines, though formal consensus remains slow.
Conferences of the Parties (COPs): Some legal scholars propose adding a COP mechanism (similar to environmental treaties) to the Outer Space Treaty to incrementally "thicken" and update legal interpretations without needing full re-ratification of the core text.
Soft Law and Bilateral Accords: Initiatives like the U.S.-led Artemis Accords attempt to set normative behavior among cooperating nations, though they lack universal or legally binding enforcement across all global powers.

A possible model for such a treaty?

A new international treaty for outer space could follow a framework similar to the 2023 High Seas Treaty (officially the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction / BBNJ Agreement), as both address global commons outside national sovereignty

How a Space Treaty Could Mirror the High Seas Treaty

Managing Global Commons: Just as the High Seas Treaty fills gaps in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for international waters, a new space framework could update the aging 1967 Outer Space Treaty to account for modern commercial realities.
Environmental and Debris Protection: The High Seas Treaty mandates environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for activities like deep-sea mining. A space counterpart could establish mandatory orbital debris cleanup, space traffic management, and planetary protection rules.
Resource Sharing and Benefit-Sharing: The BBNJ agreement creates mechanisms for sharing the benefits of marine genetic resources. Similarly, space governance could define rules for asteroid mining, private commercial exploitation, and resource rights without violating the non-appropriation principle of the Outer Space Treaty.
Inclusivity and Technology Transfer: Like the capacity-building and marine technology transfer pillars in the ocean treaty, a space agreement could help emerging spacefaring nations access data, safety frameworks, and orbital slots.

Key Differences and Challenges

Commercial Urgency vs. Conservation: The High Seas Treaty focuses heavily on conservation and establishing marine protected areas (MPAs). Outer space regulation faces a dual pressure: protecting congested orbits (like Low Earth Orbit) from collisions and debris while simultaneously enabling fast-moving commercial satellite constellations and tourism.
Militarization and Dual-Use Risks: Unlike the high seas – where security is managed largely through naval law and UNCLOS (the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ) – outer space involves heavy strategic, military, and dual-use implications (such as anti-satellite capabilities and strategic infrastructure) that require distinct diplomatic approaches.
https://www.taylorwessing.com/en/interface/2024/the-space-race/outer-space-needs-a-new-treaty
https://press.un.org/en/2026/gadis3774.doc.htm
and the EU https://practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/space-law-2026/europe-wide/trends-and-developments/O26358

Background material, 2025 and earlier

https://space-economy.esa.int/article/287/esa-report-on-the-space-economy-2025

https://space-economy.esa.int/documents/tJMabTj61KkdGVOtF6SKw6wGSxicen6ajUWamCG3.pdf

https://space-economy.esa.int/documents/cSDRfWXRZrCrVCSpvpWHoN52NA71W7441uA49UJX.pdf

https://euspil.sp.unipi.it/2025/06/17/italy-approves-its-first-space-economy-law/

https://www.osservatori.net/comunicato/space-economy/space-economy-italia-mercato/

https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/the-new-space-frontier-in-africa-and-mena-regional-challenges-international-opportunities-225886

htps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUCZt5OcszY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raeKQpAFrI4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_use_of_space

https://imi.intesasanpaolo.com/en/insights/economind/future-space-economy-opportunity-sustainability/

https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4635/1