A Name, a Story ---- Enrico Mattei was a state entrepreneur, founder of
ENI, capable of challenging the interests of major Western oil companies
with an independent, unscrupulous, and cooperative approach toward the
Global South. ---- His figure is now being evoked by the Meloni
government to give historical legitimacy to a new geopolitical project:
the Mattei Plan for Africa. But what is being celebrated is more a
symbol than a real continuity: today's Mattei does not challenge, but
rather organizes; he does not build relationships from the bottom up,
but moves along strategic lines already mapped out by Brussels and Rome.
In the official document presenting the Plan, the word "Rome" appears
sixteen times. Not as a geographical reference, but as a political
subject: "Rome's Will," "Rome's Geostrategic Ambition," "Rome's Foreign
Policy." A lexicon that evokes the imperial past and fascist rhetoric,
reintroducing a top-down vision of power and action in the world.
This is where the title of this article comes from: "The Will of Rome"
is not a neutral phrase.
Anatomy of a Plan
The Mattei Plan was established with Law No. 2/2024 and formalized
during the Italy-Africa Summit in January 2024. Presented as an open
programmatic platform, it has six priority axes: education, health,
agriculture, water, energy, and infrastructure. It initially involves
nine countries: Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia,
Mozambique, Ivory Coast, and Congo.
Available resources amount to €5.5 billion: €3 billion from the Italian
Climate Fund and €2.5 billion from Development Cooperation. These are
supplemented by instruments under development through CDP, SACE, and
public-private partnerships.
The stakeholders involved are the main players in the "Country System":
Eni, Sparkle, Enel Green Power, Ferrovie, Leonardo, and Fincantieri.
At present, however, concrete impact indicators, a comprehensive
strategy, and a real mechanism for engaging African partners are lacking.
The Plan's governance is entrusted to a Mission Structure within the
Prime Minister's Office and a Steering Committee chaired by Giorgia Meloni.
Behind the Rhetoric: Migration, Security, and Old Ghosts
The Mattei Plan treads an ambiguous path: on the one hand, it claims to
transcend the charitable or extractive logic of cooperation; on the
other, it follows a well-known security-extractive framework. Management
of migration flows is included in the founding law, although formally
excluded from the six pillars.
Many African and international observers denounce the lack of genuine
consultation with African civil society, the lack of alignment with the
African Union's Agenda 2063, and the risk that cooperation will be
directed more toward Italian interests (energy, migration, geopolitical
prestige) than toward autonomous African development.
Mario Raffaelli (Amref Italia) wrote that the Plan "can only be
successful if it involves African diasporas, civil society, and
emancipates itself from economic logic." Carlota G. Encina's report
(CSIS, 2024) notes how the entire European policy in the Sahel has
failed, based as it is on containment, security, and cultural
disconnection: today, Sahelian governments are looking elsewhere, to
Moscow or Beijing, and did not participate in the Italy-Africa summit.
The Missing Voices
At the 2024 Rome Summit, African Union President Moussa Faki declared:
"We are not beggars. We want cooperation among equals, not empty
promises." African civil society, through networks like Don't Gas
Africa, has denounced exclusion from decision-making processes and the
continuation of extractive practices, particularly in the energy sector
(gas and biofuels).
African Arguments openly speaks of "PR-friendly neocolonialism." ISPI
itself, in an official position paper, recognizes that the Plan is
currently a vague framework, with little transparency, weak governance,
and a strong bias toward North Africa. The Sahel is almost absent, and
West Africa is still marginalized.
Listen to Africa, not just name it
The Mattei Plan is not yet a plan. It is a framework, an ambition, a
narrative. The risk is that it will remain a geopolitical slogan, useful
for strengthening Italy's international role and attracting investment,
but without addressing the roots of inequality and migration. Words are
not enough.
The invocation of the "will of Rome" betrays an ancient, top-down,
colonial vision. Building a common future requires overturning the
pyramid, listening to African voices, making room for forms of
mutualistic cooperation, and finally recognizing the right of African
peoples to choose their own path, without guardianship or masters. I
wouldn't want the relationship between Europe and Africa to resemble
that between my father-in-law, a laborer, and his friend, an accountant.
My accountant friend prepared my in-laws' tax returns (two INPS pensions
and a house) and the ICI/IMU (property tax) payments for the taxes owed
to the municipality. My father-in-law, in return for the courtesy,
cleaned the garden of his accountant friend's country house at least
twice a year, putting in, on average, four days of work each year. One
hour of work versus 32 hours of work?
Let's put it another way: as long as Africa, in exchange for its raw
materials, has to purchase our patents and our machinery to extract and
process them before shipping, there's no point. Internationalism must be
built on other foundations.
References
ISPI (2024), 'The Mattei Plan: Relaunching Italy's Africa Policy'.
Cerami C. (2024), 'Could the Mattei Plan Succeed Where Other Policies
Failed?', Roma Tre / Academia.edu.
Encina C.G. (2024), 'Europe, Beyond Its Southern Border', Center for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Report to Parliament on the Status of Implementation of the Mattei Plan,
Presidency of the Council of Ministers, December 2024.
Raffaelli M. (2024), 'Can the Mattei Plan with Africa Succeed?', in
Formiche.net.
African Arguments, various articles 2023–2024.
Don’t Gas Africa (2023), 'Open Letter to the EU on Extractivism and
Climate Justice'.
https://alternativalibertaria.fdca.it/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
ENI, capable of challenging the interests of major Western oil companies
with an independent, unscrupulous, and cooperative approach toward the
Global South. ---- His figure is now being evoked by the Meloni
government to give historical legitimacy to a new geopolitical project:
the Mattei Plan for Africa. But what is being celebrated is more a
symbol than a real continuity: today's Mattei does not challenge, but
rather organizes; he does not build relationships from the bottom up,
but moves along strategic lines already mapped out by Brussels and Rome.
In the official document presenting the Plan, the word "Rome" appears
sixteen times. Not as a geographical reference, but as a political
subject: "Rome's Will," "Rome's Geostrategic Ambition," "Rome's Foreign
Policy." A lexicon that evokes the imperial past and fascist rhetoric,
reintroducing a top-down vision of power and action in the world.
This is where the title of this article comes from: "The Will of Rome"
is not a neutral phrase.
Anatomy of a Plan
The Mattei Plan was established with Law No. 2/2024 and formalized
during the Italy-Africa Summit in January 2024. Presented as an open
programmatic platform, it has six priority axes: education, health,
agriculture, water, energy, and infrastructure. It initially involves
nine countries: Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia,
Mozambique, Ivory Coast, and Congo.
Available resources amount to €5.5 billion: €3 billion from the Italian
Climate Fund and €2.5 billion from Development Cooperation. These are
supplemented by instruments under development through CDP, SACE, and
public-private partnerships.
The stakeholders involved are the main players in the "Country System":
Eni, Sparkle, Enel Green Power, Ferrovie, Leonardo, and Fincantieri.
At present, however, concrete impact indicators, a comprehensive
strategy, and a real mechanism for engaging African partners are lacking.
The Plan's governance is entrusted to a Mission Structure within the
Prime Minister's Office and a Steering Committee chaired by Giorgia Meloni.
Behind the Rhetoric: Migration, Security, and Old Ghosts
The Mattei Plan treads an ambiguous path: on the one hand, it claims to
transcend the charitable or extractive logic of cooperation; on the
other, it follows a well-known security-extractive framework. Management
of migration flows is included in the founding law, although formally
excluded from the six pillars.
Many African and international observers denounce the lack of genuine
consultation with African civil society, the lack of alignment with the
African Union's Agenda 2063, and the risk that cooperation will be
directed more toward Italian interests (energy, migration, geopolitical
prestige) than toward autonomous African development.
Mario Raffaelli (Amref Italia) wrote that the Plan "can only be
successful if it involves African diasporas, civil society, and
emancipates itself from economic logic." Carlota G. Encina's report
(CSIS, 2024) notes how the entire European policy in the Sahel has
failed, based as it is on containment, security, and cultural
disconnection: today, Sahelian governments are looking elsewhere, to
Moscow or Beijing, and did not participate in the Italy-Africa summit.
The Missing Voices
At the 2024 Rome Summit, African Union President Moussa Faki declared:
"We are not beggars. We want cooperation among equals, not empty
promises." African civil society, through networks like Don't Gas
Africa, has denounced exclusion from decision-making processes and the
continuation of extractive practices, particularly in the energy sector
(gas and biofuels).
African Arguments openly speaks of "PR-friendly neocolonialism." ISPI
itself, in an official position paper, recognizes that the Plan is
currently a vague framework, with little transparency, weak governance,
and a strong bias toward North Africa. The Sahel is almost absent, and
West Africa is still marginalized.
Listen to Africa, not just name it
The Mattei Plan is not yet a plan. It is a framework, an ambition, a
narrative. The risk is that it will remain a geopolitical slogan, useful
for strengthening Italy's international role and attracting investment,
but without addressing the roots of inequality and migration. Words are
not enough.
The invocation of the "will of Rome" betrays an ancient, top-down,
colonial vision. Building a common future requires overturning the
pyramid, listening to African voices, making room for forms of
mutualistic cooperation, and finally recognizing the right of African
peoples to choose their own path, without guardianship or masters. I
wouldn't want the relationship between Europe and Africa to resemble
that between my father-in-law, a laborer, and his friend, an accountant.
My accountant friend prepared my in-laws' tax returns (two INPS pensions
and a house) and the ICI/IMU (property tax) payments for the taxes owed
to the municipality. My father-in-law, in return for the courtesy,
cleaned the garden of his accountant friend's country house at least
twice a year, putting in, on average, four days of work each year. One
hour of work versus 32 hours of work?
Let's put it another way: as long as Africa, in exchange for its raw
materials, has to purchase our patents and our machinery to extract and
process them before shipping, there's no point. Internationalism must be
built on other foundations.
References
ISPI (2024), 'The Mattei Plan: Relaunching Italy's Africa Policy'.
Cerami C. (2024), 'Could the Mattei Plan Succeed Where Other Policies
Failed?', Roma Tre / Academia.edu.
Encina C.G. (2024), 'Europe, Beyond Its Southern Border', Center for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Report to Parliament on the Status of Implementation of the Mattei Plan,
Presidency of the Council of Ministers, December 2024.
Raffaelli M. (2024), 'Can the Mattei Plan with Africa Succeed?', in
Formiche.net.
African Arguments, various articles 2023–2024.
Don’t Gas Africa (2023), 'Open Letter to the EU on Extractivism and
Climate Justice'.
https://alternativalibertaria.fdca.it/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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