05 October 2026

2026 Festival of Change in Trieste and Gorizia concludes

The fifth edition of the Festival of Change has concluded in Trieste and Gorizia. For the second consecutive year, Med-Or Italian Foundation was among the promoters of the initiative, which focused on the theme “Energy without Borders”.

On 5 and 6 October, Trieste and Gorizia hosted the fifth edition of the Festival of Change, promoted by the Venezia Giulia Chamber of Commerce together with the International Strategic Network (ISN) and Med-Or Italian Foundation, in collaboration with the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region. Entitled “Energy without Borders”, the 2026 edition brought together representatives from institutions, businesses, academia and the research community to discuss the ongoing transformations of the international energy system.

The first day, hosted at the Venezia Giulia Chamber of Commerce in Trieste, was opened by its President, Antonio Paoletti, with institutional remarks from the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza, the President of Unioncamere, Andrea Prete, the President of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, Massimiliano Fedriga, and the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. This was followed by a conversation with Federico Rampini.

The programme continued with two panel discussions focusing, respectively, on the impact of shifting geopolitical balances on security of supply and on the evolution of the Italian and European energy systems. Participants included, among others, Mohammed Baharoon, Lorenzo Ortona, Massimo Nicolazzi, Giuseppe Tripoli, Alessandro Gorla, Rodolfo Taccani, Giorgio Graditi, Davide Tabarelli, Carlo Andriolo and Filippo Rodriguez.

The second day, hosted in the Aula Magna of the University of Trieste’s Gorizia campus, was opened by Antonio Paoletti, with institutional remarks from the Mayor of Gorizia, Rodolfo Ziberna and Diego Bernardis, Member of the Regional Council of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Focusing on the energy transition, infrastructure and the technologies required to support the sector’s evolution, the speakers of the third panel included Carole Nakhle, Luca Squeri, Alessandra Pasini, Diego Portoghese and Davide Falteri, followed by a conversation with Alec Ross.

The final session addressed the relationship between artificial intelligence, energy demand and critical raw materials, examining the emerging geographies of resources, infrastructure and value chains. The panel featured Sara Ibrahim Ahmed Elhag, Gianclaudio Torlizzi, Fausto Torri and Gianluigi Rozza, and was moderated by Francesco Maria Talò. Closing remarks were delivered by the Deputy Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Vannia Gava.

For Med-Or Italian Foundation, which contributed to the organisation of the Festival for the second consecutive year, the initiative provided a further opportunity for discussion on the major geopolitical, economic and technological transformations affecting Italy and Europe, with particular attention to energy security, strategic infrastructure and the evolving dynamics of international competition.