Italy, Expo Hosting Virtually Abandoned?... Italian Prime Minister to Skip Paris Summit

Deputy Foreign Minister to Attend as Government Representative
Governor of Lazio, Including Rome, Also Decides Not to Attend
"Seems to Have Decided to Avoid Responsibility for Hosting Failure"

Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, one of the candidates for hosting the 2030 World Expo, announced on the 28th (local time) that she will not attend the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris. As the likelihood of Rome, Italy, competing against Busan, South Korea, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has diminished, she appears to have chosen to remain in Rome.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

Local media such as the Italian daily La Repubblica reported on the 27th, a day before the host city vote, that "Prime Minister Meloni will stay in Rome and not go to Paris, France, where the Expo host city will be decided tomorrow." According to the Prime Minister's Office, Meloni will meet with union representatives at 9 a.m. on the 28th at the Quirinal Palace, the Prime Minister's residence in Rome.

Maria Tripodi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, will attend the Paris BIE General Assembly as the Italian government representative instead of Prime Minister Meloni. Similarly, Francesco Rocca, the Governor of Lazio, where Rome is located, will also be absent, and Deputy Governor Roberta Angelilli is expected to go to Paris in his place.

Foreign media reported that as Rome's chances of being selected in the competition for the 2030 Expo hosting among the three cities significantly decreased, Prime Minister Meloni and Governor Rocca appear to have chosen not to attend to avoid taking responsibility for the potential failure to secure the bid.

Prime Minister Meloni had shown strong determination to host the Expo, even taking the stage as the final speaker during the 4th round of competitive presentations (PT) at the BIE General Assembly held in Paris last June, appealing for support for Rome. Although she entered the bidding somewhat late, she set a goal to secure 60 votes in the first round of voting, placing second behind Saudi Arabia and advancing to the final vote.

However, South Korea actively engaged in the bidding, especially among business leaders, and rapidly expanded its support base over the past few months, reportedly changing the atmosphere within Italy as well.

Rome, Italy, is the competitor to South Korea (Busan) in the 2030 Expo bidding. If it goes to a final vote, Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) will be the final opponent, making South Korea a potential ally to collaborate with in the ultimate decision.

Italy is known to have secured support from the United States, Brazil, Slovenia, Haiti, and many African countries. Additionally, it enjoys full support from European Union (EU) member states, excluding France. Israel, which had publicly supported Saudi Arabia over the past year, is also reported to have recently shifted its stance to support Italy.

Meanwhile, the vote for the 2030 Expo host city is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. local time on the 28th, around 11:30 p.m. Korean time. If a city receives more than two-thirds of the votes from the 182 member countries in the first round, it will be immediately confirmed as the host city. If no city is decided in the first round, the city with the fewest votes will be eliminated, and the remaining two cities will proceed to a final vote.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.