A shared interpretative space is needed to bridge European policies and Italy’s real economy, overcoming fragmented and abstract narratives.
The newsletter and Hub Italia Europa foster a two-way dialogue, connecting EU strategies with territorial realities and strengthening Italy’s role within the European framework.
Telling the story of Europe today is no simple task. Not because information is scarce – quite the opposite – but because it is often fragmented, highly technical, and disconnected from the contexts in which it is meant to have real-world impact. In much the same way, telling the story of Italy within Europe requires more than institutional narratives or the sum of individual experiences. It calls for a space capable of holding together different levels, perspectives and languages.
It is from this awareness that the need for a shared space arises.
The European Union plays an increasingly central role in Italy’s economic and institutional life. European policies shape business competitiveness, the organisation of public services, the digital and green transitions, and the skills demanded by the labour market. Yet the way these policies are communicated and understood is not always commensurate with their complexity or their concrete implications. The European Union is often perceived as - and sometimes is - distant and abstract, confined to a decision-making sphere detached from the everyday realities of regions and local communities.
At the same time, Italy is an integral part of European processes. Not merely as a recipient of policies and resources, but as an active contributor of experiences, expertise and organisational models rooted in its territories and tested daily in the real economy. This wealth of knowledge and practice, however, does not always emerge clearly or systematically within the European debate.
Bringing these two dimensions into dialogue – Europe shaping Italy, and Italy contributing to Europe – is no longer a theoretical exercise, but a practical necessity.
What is needed, therefore, are spaces for interpretation as much as for information. Spaces that can translate European policies into meaningful insights for businesses, institutions and local actors, while also conveying to the European level the perspectives of territories, economic networks and institutional practices operating on the ground. Storytelling, in this sense, is not about simplification, but about context: connecting rules, programmes and strategies to the concrete dynamics in which they take shape.
European complexity cannot be addressed through a one-way lens. It requires a genuinely two-way perspective, moving from Europe to Italy and from Italy back to Europe, recognising that the value of European policies ultimately lies in their capacity to be understood, implemented and adapted across diverse territorial contexts. This is precisely where intermediary bodies, institutional networks and territorial systems play a decisive role.
This newsletter is intended to be part of that shared space. Not merely a channel for updates, but an editorial platform where Europe can be read through the prism of the real economy, and Italy can be presented as an European actor rather than a passive observer. A place where information and interpretation go hand in hand, offering tools for understanding rather than ready-made answers.
The launch of Hub Italia Europa follows the same logic. A hub, by definition, is neither a showcase nor a destination, but a point of connection: a place where different flows converge, are organised and given meaning. In this spirit, our editorial space aims to support the ongoing dialogue between European policies and the Italian system – between opportunities and the capacity to make use of them, between strategic vision and concrete implementation.
In a Europe marked by profound transitions and growing geopolitical and economic tensions, the ability to interpret change is itself a strategic asset. Telling the story of Europe and telling the story of Italy are not separate endeavours, but part of the same narrative – one that demands continuity, depth and close attention to territorial realities.
This first-ever edition of our newsletter in English is a further step in that direction: an invitation to broaden the conversation and to open this shared space to a wider audience. It is here, in this common ground, that the everyday relationship between Italy and the European Union takes shape. And it is from here that this editorial journey begins.
Giuseppe Tripoli
Segretario Generale di Unioncamere