Visiting Fellow
Infrastructures, trade, energy, European Union
Italian, English, French
Alberto Rizzi is a visiting fellow with the European Power programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, based in the Rome office. Previously, he was a pan-European fellow at ECFR.
His research interests focus mainly on European economic policies, international trade, and the geopolitics of energy and infrastructures. Rizzi has extensive experience in research, having worked at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, the European Army Interoperability Centre, the Italy-China Foundation, and the Italian Embassy in Tallinn.
He holds a BA in international and European studies from the University of Milan and an MA in international politics and regional dynamics from the same institution. He later completed an advanced master’s in EU economic governance at the Institute for European Studies of the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
The India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor is alive, if not yet kicking. Europeans should use the hiatus in the corridor’s development to agree on the next steps, with a focus on reconciling the various goals of all its participants
The EU’s plans to upgrade the Middle Corridor trade route may boost Russian and Chinese connectivity with central Asia. But for Europeans, the long-term economic and strategic benefits of going ahead with the development far outweigh these risks
Plans unveiled at the G20 for a trade corridor linking the EU to India via the Gulf could rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative. But the participants face considerable challenges to ensure its economic viability and secure the necessary financing
To propel the green transition, the EU and its member states need to intensify their ‘friend-shoring’ with non-rivals in the global south. Three promising areas are critical raw materials, sustainable agriculture, and mature renewables technology
The EU should invest more Global Gateway funding in the southern neighbourhood, helping it achieve strategic nearshoring, clean energy, and regional connectivity goals
The Strait is the main bottleneck for international energy trade: about 30% of the maritime oil trade passes through the Strait
Alberto Rizzi on Iran’s position in the Strait of Hormuz and how this may affect global connectivity
The EU is hoping to reduce its reliance on Russian territory by leading the development of a shorter alternative route through central Asia, called the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route
Alberto Rizzi explains why the EU must develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR)
International maritime traffic is much more delicate and vulnerable than it may seem: even a small armed group is capable of blocking one of the world’s most important shipping channels
Alberto Rizzi on the Red Sea crisis
It is hard to believe that the Houthis have the capabilities and technology to strike submarine cables at that depth
Alberto Rizzi comments on the attack on the submarine cables and the alleged Houthi involvement
The latest information suggests that it is plausible that it was Rubymar, the cargo ship that drifted and then sank after being hit by Houthi missiles, that damaged the cables
Alberto Rizzi comments on the damage to the four cables in the Red Sea where a quarter of Internet traffic between Europe and Asia passes through