Business does not protect itself

Sometimes all it takes is a glance at a map to understand what is in Italy’s best interests. Yesterday, Sergio Mattarella did more or less just that, speaking at the general assembly of the Italian Shipowners’ Confederation. He pointed out that 80 per cent of global trade is transported by sea and that the maritime sector accounts for 11 per cent of our GDP. He then described shipping as a “vital infrastructure of globalisation”. It is a tribute to the open world that comes at a time when it is fashionable to regard everything that comes from outside as a threat and everything that remains within our borders as an achievement. For Italy, however, globalisation is not an ideological whim: it means companies exporting, raw materials arriving, and goods circulating. It means prosperity.

And Mattarella was right to point this out, without succumbing to the illusion that simply making the world smaller is enough to make it safer. There was also another thread running through the speech. Mattarella mentioned the Black Sea, the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz, the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. These are distant places – until one realises the cost of a disrupted shipping route, a blocked cargo or higher insurance premiums. The President pointed out that freedom of navigation depends on rules and thanked the Navy for its commitment, citing the European Aspides mission. This leads to a reflection that is less obvious than it might seem: if globalisation makes us richer, protecting it is in our own interests. And if our well-being also depends on the security of seas, straits and gulfs, we cannot always leave it to our better-equipped allies to ensure it, only to complain when something goes wrong. Italy is already playing its part, but it should do more: invest in naval capabilities, support joint missions, and defend the rules using whatever means are necessary. Freedom of trade does not come for free. Mattarella pointed out that the sea is a vehicle for peace. True. But peace, like globalisation, does not protect itself.