· Government action
Italy's reported €1.5bn talks with SpaceX for secure government communications draw opposition
What he said or did
Bloomberg reported that Italy was in advanced talks with SpaceX on a deal reportedly worth €1.5 billion over five years to provide encrypted telecommunications for the government and military and satellite services for emergencies. The report came days after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Background
Italy had reportedly explored the deal since 2023, and Italian intelligence agencies and the Defence Ministry had reportedly backed the project (Brussels Times). Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte accused the government of putting Italy's security in Musk's hands and called for a parliamentary debate (Brussels Times).
Official response
Meloni's office called reports linking the deal to the Trump visit ridiculous
(Brussels Times). Meloni said: I never talked about this with Musk. It's not my habit to use my public role to do favors to friends,
and that talks were in an investigative
phase with no contract signed (AP).
What happened next
On 22 March 2025 Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said It seems to me that everything has come to a standstill,
saying the debate had shifted from technical questions to Musk himself (Reuters).
Sources
- Brussels Times (citing Bloomberg)6 Jan 2025
- Associated Press (via WSLS)9 Jan 2025 · Archived copy
- Reuters (via bdnews24)23 Mar 2025
This entry records what was publicly said or done, as reported by the sources above. Quotes are attributed to the person who made them.
