Giorgia Meloni is in Algiers for a working and friendly visit. The Italian Prime Minister was given a grand welcome on Tuesday and met with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the presidential palace on Wednesday.
This long-planned meeting comes at a tense geopolitical time, marked by the war in the Middle East and the shutdown of the world's largest gas liquefaction plant, located in Ras Laffan, Qatar. This site represents approximately 20% of the world's LNG supply, 10% of which is destined for the European Union. By 2025, Doha alone was expected to cover 33% of Italy's liquefied natural gas needs. It is in this context that Italy is seeking to increase its gas deliveries to Algeria, a key supplier in Europe. Rome is heavily dependent on Algiers, its primary gas supplier since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Algerian gas accounts for nearly 44% of Italy's electricity production, compared to an average of 17% in the European Union. As Africa's leading gas producer, Algeria exports its resources to Europe via a vast network of strategic gas pipelines.
