Relationship dossier
Italy
Venezuela
Relationship assessment
Political friction coexists with continuing energy cooperation between Italy and Venezuela.
Italy toward Venezuela
-10Italy has joined European Union restrictive measures concerning Venezuela and has criticized the Maduro government's democratic record, while maintaining political engagement rather than cutting ties.
Venezuela toward Italy
+10Venezuela has continued energy cooperation with Italy's Eni through arrangements with state oil company PDVSA, including agreements concerning gas projects.
Overall relationship
0The relationship combines Italian criticism of Venezuela's political course and participation in EU restrictive measures with continuing energy cooperation involving Eni and PDVSA. Neither feature appears to define the full relationship, and the practical scope of energy cooperation remains unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Italy has maintained political engagement with Venezuela while taking a critical stance toward the Maduro government and participating in European Union restrictive measures. Venezuela has retained energy cooperation with Italian state-linked company Eni, including an agreement involving gas projects. Political disagreement and continuing energy ties characterize the relationship, though the scope and implementation of cooperation are not fully clear.
Areas of tension
- Italian criticism of Venezuela's democratic conditions and political process
- EU restrictive measures concerning Venezuela
Key developments
Eni and PDVSA reached arrangements concerning Venezuelan gas projects, supporting continued energy cooperation involving Italy and Venezuela.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and scope of the Eni-PDVSA gas arrangements are unclear.
- The extent of current Italian government engagement with Venezuelan authorities is uncertain.