On the eve of the First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, Italy’s special envoy for climate change, Francesco Corvaro, made a pointed appeal for European unity. “Thinking about the transition from fossil fuels and energy resilience, Italy needs to be embedded in a European pathway,” he said during a video conference organised by the Italian climate think tank ECCO.
Corvaro’s remarks underscore a growing recognition that no single EU member state can go it alone against the world’s largest energy players. “We are facing giants: the United States, Russia, China, India. Not even Germany, which is one of the most economically powerful European countries, can have the strength alone to negotiate with them,” he added.
Italy’s Vulnerability to Fossil Fuel Shocks
Italy remains the EU country most exposed to fossil fuel price volatility. According to analysis by the energy think tank Ember, gas-fired power plants determine the cost of electricity in Italy 89% of the time. In contrast, Spain has structurally decoupled its electricity prices from gas, with fossil fuels influencing costs only 15% of hours, thanks to a high penetration of renewables.
Italy’s dependence on imported gas is stark: only 5% of its gas is produced domestically, with 63% arriving via pipeline and 32% as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Despite a 30% reduction in emissions compared to 1990 levels and growth in photovoltaic capacity, ECCO experts argue that recent policies—such as extending coal phase-out deadlines, sterilising the cost of the EU Emissions Trading System for gas, and temporarily cutting fuel excise duties—amount to a diversification of gas suppliers rather than a genuine transition. New agreements with Algeria to replace Qatari gas further illustrate this trend.
“Europe’s fragility on energy issues is evident, which makes it blackmailable in a global scenario where it appears disunited and thus lacks negotiating power,” said Andrea Ghianda, ECCO’s head of communications.
Divergent National Strategies
EU member states are pursuing markedly different paths. France, under President Emmanuel Macron, is doubling down on nuclear power, planning at least six new EPR2 reactors by 2038 to secure long-term decarbonised electricity. Macron has described this as a “progressive implementation” of a French-led “advanced nuclear deterrence strategy.”
Spain, by contrast, has emerged as a leader in renewables. Since 2019, it has doubled wind and solar capacity through structural investments, halving electricity prices compared to the European average. The gap with Italy is evident: while Spain’s renewables shield consumers from gas price spikes, Italy remains acutely exposed.
Corvaro stressed that multilateralism is essential. “We are a Europe that – if not out of ideals, but out of necessity – must realise it has no other choice in key sectors but to present a united front and promote common planning,” he said. He added that the transition away from fossil fuels “can at best be slowed down, but it cannot be stopped.”
The broader European context is one of misaligned national plans and continued reliance on imported fossil fuels. The global energy crisis, exacerbated by tensions in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has underscored the urgency of coordinated action. A recent report highlighted that renewables have slashed European electricity prices by 25%, yet Italy has not fully capitalised on this trend.
The Santa Marta Conference
The Santa Marta conference, co-sponsored by Colombia and the Netherlands, brings together more than 50 countries, along with civil society, private sector representatives, workers, and Indigenous peoples. Its goal is to create a political space for coordinated national plans to phase out fossil fuels, operating outside the UNFCCC COP framework. The conference will focus on economic dependence on fossil fuels, transforming energy supply and demand, and strengthening climate diplomacy.
The meeting will not produce a formal negotiating document but rather a political-technical report outlining priorities and policy options. This report is intended to feed into the path toward COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. The initiative gained momentum after Brazil’s presidency proposed an international roadmap for the transition away from fossil fuels at COP30 in Belém, though that proposal ended in tension between signatory countries and those opposing it for economic reasons.
Italy’s invitation to the conference reflects its stated willingness to follow a science-based roadmap, starting with the most polluting sources, according to Corvaro. Yet the country’s actions on the ground—such as extending coal-fired electricity and securing new gas deals—suggest a slower pace than its rhetoric implies.
The challenge for Europe is clear: without a unified strategy, individual member states remain vulnerable to external shocks and lack the negotiating power to shape global energy markets. As Corvaro put it, the transition is inevitable, but its speed and fairness depend on collective action. The Santa Marta conference may offer a template for that cooperation, but the real test lies in whether EU capitals can align their national plans with a common European vision.
