The Italian and Israeli governments held high-level meetings to discuss strengthening their bilateral relationship. They signed new agreements on cooperation in areas like energy, trade, security, and culture. Both governments committed to further cooperation on issues like countering terrorism, promoting regional stability, and developing high-tech industries and cybersecurity. They also discussed collaborating in international development, education exchanges, and commemorating the Holocaust.

1. Italian-Israeli Intergovernmental Consultations
Joint Statement
Rome, December 2, 2013
Today, December 2, 2013, the Governments of the Italian Republic and of the
State of Israel held their fourth intergovernmental consultations in Rome.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Prime
Minister of Italy, Mr. Enrico Letta, note with satisfaction the progress
achieved and the significant developments in relations between the two
Governments, further enhanced today through new bilateral agreements
which underscore the determination of both Governments to continue
promoting cooperation and collaboration in the fields of energy, economics,
transportation, research and development, home front security and defence,
education, culture and other fields in which the Governments have common
interests.
The wide array of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries is based
on their shared heritage and interests. Both Governments are committed to
further enhance the cross fertilization of their unique cultural heritage with a
focused science and technology cooperation as a fundamental basis for
innovation and a healthy economic growth to the benefit of both Peoples.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Letta expressed confidence in the
progress of economic reforms in Israel and in Italy which set conditions for
expanded trade, investment and tourism in both directions.

2. The Prime Ministers wish to thank all those who have worked tirelessly to
advance the ties between the two countries, with the aim of consolidating their
partnership based on further economic growth, cooperation on high
technology, science and culture.
The following Government members participated in the consultations:
On the Israeli side:
Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Avigdor Lieberman, Minister of Internal Security Mr. Yitchak Aharonovitz,
Minister of Home Front Defense, Mr. Gilad Erdan, Minister of National
Infrastructures Energy and Water resources, Mr. Silvan Shalom, Minister of
Education, Rabbi Shay Piron, Minister of Culture and Sport. Ms. Limor Livnat
On the Italian side:
President of the Council, Mr. Enrico Letta, Vice Prime Minister and Minister
of Interior, Mr Angelino Alfano, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Emma
Bonino, Minister of Economic Development, Mr Flavio Zanonato, Minister of
Education, University and Research, Ms. Maria Chiara Carrozza, Minister of
Cultural Heritage, Mr Massimo Bray.
Foreign Affairs:
The Governments of Italy and Israel concluded today high level meetings,
covering a broad range of issues pertaining to their bilateral relations. They
note with satisfaction the growing friendly relations and special partnership
between the two countries and reaffirm the mutual recognition of their
political, security and economic needs.

3. Both Governments acknowledge that mutual collaboration in the bilateral and
multilateral fields, including the UN, has to be used as a tool for strengthening
stability and peace on the shores of the Mediterranean, the Middle East and
Africa. In this context, they express their full satisfaction at the intense and
fruitful pace of the bilateral political dialogue and they pledged to further
strengthen it. The number of high-level governmental visits to both countries
during recent years is testament to the importance and strength of the
relationship between the Governments.
Both Governments reiterated their objective to strengthen the already close
relations and to solidify the unique historical ties between the two societies
and cultures.
Both
Governments
remain
firmly
committed
to
combating
racial
discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance and anti-Semitism. This commitment
is rooted in the shared values and traditions of both countries.
The two Governments recognize the importance and mutual benefits for both
Israel and the European Union in promoting peace, democracy and regional
cooperation through the European Neighborhood Policy, by encouraging
scientific research, academic exchanges, environmental protection and
increased cultural ties between the Parties, as well as relevant Mediterranean
institutions, including the Union for the Mediterranean.
Both Governments highlight the shared goals of setting the conditions for
achieving a qualitative leap in the relationship between the European Union
and Israel as equal partners, based on the principles of mutual respect, solid
ownership and beneficial to both sides, particularly in the Horizon 2020

4. framework program to which Israel’s participation is in the interest of both the
EU and Israel.
The two Governments recognize the significance and mutual advantages in
further deepening NATO-Israel cooperation in the spirit of NATO’s
Partnership Policy. To this end, Italy will continue to facilitate, together with
other NATO members, the participation of Israel in the relevant North
Atlantic Allied structure and programs.
Both Governments acknowledge the recent development in Northern Africa
and in the Middle East and share their concerns for the increased instability in
the region as a result of a growing sectarian divide, terrorism, socio economic
underperformance.
The two Governments exchanged views and assessments on the most
significant International and regional issues, including Syria, the future
perspective of the Middle East peace process and Iran.
International Development Cooperation:
The Governments of Italy and Israel are strongly committed to the global
agenda for sustainable development, poverty eradication and the attainment of
the Millennium Development Goals and have decided to hold regular
consultations on issues relating to the global development agenda.
The two Governments welcome the progress made in the joint development
activities in Senegal.

5. Italy and Israel have agreed to further increase their engagement and
coordination by extending their development dialogue through Cooperazione
Italiana allo Sviluppo and MASHAV and by examining further development
cooperation partnerships for the benefit of developing countries. To this end,
both South Sudan and Ethiopia are currently under consideration.
Holocaust Remembrance:
Italy and Israel renewed the Memorandum of Understanding between the
Ministry of Education, Universities and Research of Italy, the Ministry of
Education of Israel and Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes'
Remembrance Authority on the education about the Holocaust.
Both Governments express satisfaction for the strong collaboration between
the Ministry of Education, University and Research of Italy and the Yad
Vashem in the field of Shoah education, both with the seminars organized for
the Italian teachers at the Yad Vashem and with the journeys to the places of
remembrance organized for the Italian schools.
The two Governments stress the importance of the study, the research and the
teaching about the Shoah of the Jewish people during the Second World War.
In this spirit, they strongly reiterate that any form of denial regarding horrors
of the Holocaust and calls for the destruction of the State of Israel are totally
unacceptable.
Both Governments will work together on bilateral programs to commemorate
the Shoah of the Jewish community of Italy, in order to raise public awareness
about the historical facts surrounding these atrocities. The bilateral programme
will be coordinated by a joint committee comprised of experts on the Shoah
and of representatives of both Ministries of Foreign Affairs, in consultation
with Yad Vashem.

6. Education and Youth Exchanges:
The two Governments reiterate the importance of sharing their experience
concerning the educational systems of both countries and encouraging direct
contact and collaborative programs between educational institutions at all
levels.
The two Governments express satisfaction on the progress made within the
framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field
of Youth and Students Policy, which has already been the base for numerous
exchanges between schools of both Countries.
They encourage higher education institutions in their bilateral cooperation,
maximizing existing experiences and strengthening future collaborations,
subjected to the principle of academic autonomy in the higher education
systems of both countries. One of the leverages will be the best use of the
upcoming European programs for internationalization and learning mobility,
in order to support Israeli implementation of reforms in higher education.
They will also explore the mutual exchange of assessment experiences in both
countries concerning research and academic systems. The two Governments
also appreciate the work started by the Bilateral Academic Steering Committee
in order to support and to coordinate the already numerous exchanges
between Higher Education Institutions of both Countries.
The Governments will explore avenues to promote initiatives in the field of elearning which will advance opportunities for cooperation at all educational
levels.

7. The two Governments are also satisfied with the teaching at academic level of
the language, the history and the culture of the other country.
Culture:
Italy and Israel confirm their willingness to reinforce the longstanding
tradition of cooperation in the field of culture, recognizing the richness of
their common cultural values and of shared historic legacy and acknowledging
the strong interest of their Peoples in the culture of the other Country, as
expressed by the Cultural Agreement between the two countries and by its
program renewed in 2012.
In this context, and in the framework of the said cultural agreement, they
signed an Agreement of Cooperation in Cinema Co-production which aims at
development film production and encourage the further development of the
cultural and technological ties between the two countries.
Furthermore, Italy and Israel underline the importance they attach to the
bilateral collaboration in the protection of cultural heritage, as well as in the
field of performing arts. In this context, the two countries express satisfaction
for the fruitful activity carried out by the Italy Israel Foundation for Culture
and the Arts.
They are also proud to announce that 2014 will be the year of the Israeli
Italian cultural friendship and cultural events will take place to celebrate this
event, notably in the city of Turin.
Internal Security and Home Front Affairs:
Recognizing the common challenges they face, the Governments decided to
strengthen their bilateral cooperation in the internal security field . In light of

8. their shared interest to cooperate to protect their peoples, goods and interests
from threats by countering crime, they signed an Agreement on Public
security.
The two Governments, aiming at prevent and suppress crime in its various
forms and to counter transnational organized crime, agreed to cooperate in the
fight against illegal migration, human trafficking, illicit trafficking in narcotic
drugs. They aim to prevent and suppress crime in its various forms and to
counter transnational organized crime.
To this aim, the Government of Italy and Israel will also consult in defining
legislative and scientific tools to combat crime.
The two Governments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on civil
protection, as they acknowledge that the cooperation in this field is crucial to
the people’s safety from contemporary threats and that providing an effective
disaster response can limit or mitigate damage to the population, property and
environment.
The Agreement has the scope to achieve common goals in forecasting,
prevention, mitigation and contrast to natural or man-made disasters, occurred
in the state territory of one of the Parties.
Trade and Economic Cooperation:
Based on the solid foundation of actively pursued pragmatic cooperation in
the field of trade and economic development, the bilateral relations between
the Italian Republic and the State of Israel have reached an advanced stage of
long-term strategic partnership at many levels.

9. Both Governments welcome the recent increase in the high tech relations and
start-up companies networking exchange that has brought to many events
both in Italy and Israel in the course of 2013. At the margins of the
Governmental consultations, the co-chairs of the High Tech-Start Up
Committee announced the new work plan for 2014 and meetings between
high tech companies of both countries in the field of embedded software was
held in Milan between companies in the IT and IT Security sectors. During the
B2B meetings they will meet with the leading Italian companies in this area.
Cooperation in cyber space:
The Governments of Italy and Israel acknowledge that today's economies and
infrastructures are heavily reliant on digital technologies and communication,
that this reliance is beneficial to the human and economic development of
their peoples and that it is set to increase with the advent of new technologies.
Both Governments recognize the critical role of information and
communication systems in the development of their open and democratic
societies and economies, and they acknowledge the expanding range of threats
posed to this domain by state, non-state actors and individuals. Protection of
information in the digital age against theft and misuse is one of the main
challenges faced by Nations, industries and individuals.
The two Governments appreciate that the protection of cyber space, fostered
by robust research and development efforts by both the academic world and
private actors, creates a rapidly expanding market for expertise, products and
services, that the two Countries can best leverage by maximizing their joint
efforts and interactions.

10. Therefore, in light of the global nature of challenges to cyber space and of the
economic opportunities emerging in this sector, the two Governments signed
a Joint Declaration aimed at deepening and expanding their mutual knowledge
and understanding of cyber threats and related issues.
To this aim, both Governments intend to foster cooperation among their
industrial, business and academic communities with a view to benefiting from
the economic opportunities arising from the protection of cyber space. Italy
and Israel will therefore strive to enhance the current dialogue in order to
commonly assess future trends and challenges of cyber space, promoting
cooperation
and
exchanges
between
their
business
communities,
entrepreneurs, experts and academic research institutions
Science and Technology:
The two Governments agree on the importance of further promoting
scientific and technologic cooperation between the countries. The parties will
encourage further direct contacts and exchanges between scientific institutions
in both countries in the framework of their bilateral agreement on cooperation
in the field of Science and Technology, also building up on existing successful
experiences of joint laboratories.
They welcome the recent selection of 14 industrial R&D projects and 10 R&D
academic projects jointly proposed by Israeli and Italian business, research and
academic entities that will be co-funded by the two Governments.
The Governments note with satisfaction the next publication of two calls for
proposals during early 2014, in both Italy and Israel for new joint industrial
R&D and academic projects. The Governments have agreed to continue the

11. bilateral exchange in the field of R&D and professional training, particularly in
the areas with strong potential for innovation and modern applied
technologies, such cooperation in cyberspace.
The Governments continue to support the excellent cooperation in the field
of Space between the two respective Space Agencies and industries, especially
in the earth observation domain. It is noted with satisfaction that the new
Joint Research Programs were implemented under the supervision of the
Space Agencies and with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Energy and Water:
The two governments signed a Joint declaration on cooperation in the fields
of energy and water with the aim to further strengthen their economic
relations and to create a privileged partnership.
The two large water companies Acea and Mekorot signed an MOU for
cooperation between them both bilaterally as well as internationally.
They establish a framework that will enable them to share experiences for the
development of energy and water resources in coordination with other
frameworks established with other partners of the region. They will further
examine ways to enhance the relations between the respective water utilities
and industries for the exchange of cutting edge technologies in the field of
water management and desalination.
In particular, Italy and Israel will strive to support research and industry to
favor the transportation of natural gas towards the European Union where
Italy is ready to play its part as a bridge for gas transportation towards the EU.

12. The two Governments note with satisfaction the mission of an Interministerial Israeli Delegation in the sector of compressed natural gas for
transportation that took place in Italy from 25 to 28 November 2013 which
underlined the longstanding Italian experience in this sector and where there is
scope for future bilateral cooperation.
The two Governments will act to further enhance innovation in the alternative
fuel in transportation.
Health:
The relationship between Israel and Italy in the healthcare is particularly
intense and characterized by several concrete and useful initiatives both at
Governmental and at a local level, such as the renewal of the Plan of Action
between the two Ministries of Health; collaboration between the Gemelli
Hospital in Rome, the Israeli Center for Simulation Medicine and the Rambam
Hospital in Haifa; cooperation between Schools of Medicine of the
Politecnico di Torino, the University of Torino and the Technion, Israeli
Institute of Technology; Cooperation between the Ministry of Health of the
State of Israel and the Abruzzo Region; establishment of PENTA joint
Laboratory between the Istituto Superiore di Sanità and Ben Gurion
University of Negev.
Expo 2015 in Milan:
The Government of Israel presented a preview of the Israeli pavilion to the
World Expo 2015 in Milan. Italy and Israel confirmed they common interest
in making EXPO 2015 a success. The theme of Expo 2015 “Feeding the
Planet, Energy for Life” is at the core of the partnership between Israel and
Italy and it is consistent with the two countries’ expertise, also in the context

13. of their shared commitment to the fulfillment of the UN Millennium
Development Goals.
Conclusion:
The Prime Ministers reiterate the key importance they attribute to the ties
between the two Governments and they agree to conduct the next round of
intergovernmental consultations in Jerusalem during the course of 2014.
__________________
H.E. Enrico Letta
__________________
H.E. Benjamin Netanyahu
President of the Council of
the Italian Republic
Prime Minister of the State of Israel