Spanish Concern Over Algerian-Italian Rapprochement
There are clear indications of Spanish concern about the Algerian-Italian rapprochement, especially in the sectors of cars, military cooperation, renewable energy, electricity, and primarily agriculture, through the “Mattei” plan and the integrated project of the “BF” group (Bonifiche Ferraresi), at a time when Spain has lost its shares in Algeria in two and a half years, against the backdrop of the Madrid government’s shift in position on the Western Sahara conflict, despite opening the door to imports from this country a few days ago.
This concern was expressed through a long article in the famous Spanish newspaper “El Independiente”, which bore an interrogative title “Why does Meloni’s Mattei plan seduce Algeria and should Spain be worried?”, indicating that while Madrid’s relations with Algeria have been experiencing a political, diplomatic and economic rupture for two and a half years, Italy has deepened its relations with Algeria in the energy, industrial and especially agricultural sectors, through what has become known as the “Mattei Plan” of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the African continent, and stressed that this plan, which includes projects in several sectors for Africa, including Algeria, will increase rapprochement with Italy and strengthen relations.
According to the newspaper, in the week in which Algeria announced the lifting of restrictions on trade to and from Spain, Spanish businessmen are fully aware that this period of estrangement will not pass without repercussions, given that other competitors from European countries have benefited during this period (the Algerian boycott of Spain commercially), from the absence of Spain, noting that financial and business circles in Spain also realize that it is difficult to regain the shares lost during the past two and a half years.
In this context, El Independiente explained that Italy is one of the countries that benefited the most from what the article described as Algerian revenge against Spain after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s historic shift in position on the Western Sahara issue.
Coinciding with Algeria’s two-and-a-half-year trade boycott of Spain, El Independiente added that Rome signed new gas contracts and strengthened its trade relations in agriculture, military cooperation and the automotive industry. A Fiat factory was also inaugurated in Oran (western Algeria), and relations have been further consolidated since the term of former Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
The Spanish newspaper reports that Meloni seeks to increase economic exchanges with Algeria, at the expense of other European countries such as Spain, noting that there is also a project to export green electricity and green hydrogen produced in Algeria to Italy, in addition to signing an agreement to develop a sustainable agricultural project implemented by the Italian agricultural group Bonifiche Ferraresi, referring to the Timimoun (southern Algeria) project to produce durum wheat, dry legumes and pasta.
The newspaper referred to the statements of the Algerian ambassador to Rome, Mohamed Khelifi, a few days ago to the Italian news agency “Nova”, confirming Algeria’s desire to be Italy’s gateway to the African continent.
The Spanish newspaper also expressed regret about the large projects mentioned by Ambassador Khelifi, including the South2 hydrogen corridor partnership with Rome, which extends to Germany and Austria and excludes Madrid.
In this regard, the article said that Ambassador Mohamed Khelifi confirmed that relations between Algeria and Italy have strengthened over the years because Algeria is a reliable supplier of energy to Rome, in addition to the recent signing of agreements related to green hydrogen not only with Italy but also with other countries such as Germany and Austria.
In this context, Caterina Roggero, a researcher at the Institute for the Study of International Politics, considers, according to the same source, that the relationship between Algeria and Rome is a “marriage of convenience” linked by the fundamental interests of both parties, reinforced by the legacy left by the Italian icon and anti-colonial Enrico Mattei, the historical founder of Eni, who “still lends itself perfectly to Italy’s new development strategy towards the entire continent”.
The newspaper concluded that “this is why Algerian-Italian relations are at their best, also taking into account the behaviour of France and Spain. In Madrid, the crisis is still far from being overcome despite the appointment of a new Algerian ambassador and the restoration of trade exchanges”.
“With Paris, however, the future is darker: Macron’s recognition that the Algerian national hero Larbi Ben M’hidi was killed by French soldiers, amid the celebrations of the anniversary of the start of the Algeria revolution, has not served to reduce the tension caused by the rapprochement with Morocco and his recent visit to Rabat”.
