Our history

European security, development, migrations, EU agenda: throughout the years CeSPI has been able to anticipate those topics that have later become focal in international relations, always striving to contribute to the public debate on Italian foreign policy.

1978

CeSPI is founded - Centre for International Policy Studies

CeSPI is established, willed by Enrico Berlinguer, with the mission to contribute to revivingculture and international view on the Italian Communist Party, with specific focus on European Security related topics.

1985

CeSPI becomes an independent and non-profit association

Based on the input of various personalities from the political and cultural life (among which, the Republic's President emeritus, Giorgio Napolitano), CeSPI becomes an independent non-profit association, also entering, for the first time, the table of internationalist institutions recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The research focus widens to include development related topics.

1993

1° Castelgandolfo Colloquium on Transatlantic Affairs

The series of "Colloquia" begins and the 10 editions, until 2004, represented the/an occasion for debate - both public and private - among illustrious scholars and European and American politicians on the strategic issues of the Transatlantic Agenda.

2000

Italy-Latin-America I forum on SMBs

The Forum developed in two editions, the first in Verona in 2000 and the second in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2002, representing an opportunity for the exchange of good practices between Italy and Latin-America on the promotion of Small to Medium Businesses.

2004

Migrants and financial inclusion

Cooperation between CeSPI and ABI (the Italian Banking Association) begins on migrants' financial inclusion: a fundamental step in the process/strategy for the social and labour integration of migrants. The studies analyse both the offer and the migrants' demand for services and financial products.

2005

Report on European integration

The "Annual Reports on European Integration", developed by CeSPI and the Gramsci Institute Foundation until 2011, start being published. The Reports are a collection of reflections/thoughts of both Centres on chapters of the integration process: institutions, freedom space, security and justice and the EU's foreign policy.

2006

Migrations and development. The challenges and opportunities for Euro-African relations

international Conference organised by CeSPI and SID, under the high patronage of the President of the Republic, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Italian Cooperation. The event, final step in a CeSPI-SID research project, is also attended by experts and Italian and African representatives from the political life.

2008

Operare nelle crisi. La cooperazione multilaterale nelle crisi internazionali.

The project CeSPI-UNICRI is launched in order to monitor the evolution of four international crisis - Afghanistan, Darfur, Lebanon and Somalia - where Italy is also involved. The project also analyses peacekeeping and reconstruction initiatives carried out by the international community, evaluating their efficacy. The monitoring is entrusted to the Crisis Monitoring Group (CMG), a panel of experts and researchers, both Italian and International.

2008

The Observatory on International Politics

CeSPI, together with other Italian think tanks, such as IAI, ISPI and CESI, is selected by the Chamber of Deputies, Senate and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide qualified consultancy services on the main events and trends of the international scenario and on topics relevant to the Italian Foreign Policy. Throughout the years CeSPI's consultancy focused on migrations - through the publication of a quarterly Focus - and on development and climate change.

2009

Climate Change and Human Mobility in Africa - Dialogue for Strategic Italo-African Cooperation

An International Conference organised by CeSPI and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the course of the Italian Presidency of the G8, as conclusion to a research project. The event deals with the link between environmental vulnerabilities, migrations, peace and stability and the ramifications of the climate change for human mobility in Africa.

2011

mandasoldiacasa.it

Creation of a website which gathers, analyses and publishes data about the cost of sending remittances to 14 corridors. The website, certified by the World Bank, promoted by the Italian Cooperation with the patronage of the Bank of Italy, strives to contribute to the achievement of the 5*5 goal set in the G20 Agenda: reducing the cost of remittances to 5% in 5 years. The site facilitates migrants' remittances to the country of origin, crucial point for development, thus increasing the transactions' transparency.

2015

The Observatory on the Financial Inclusion of Migrants in Italy

International Conference organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation within the Italy-Africa conference, aimed at favouring the participation of the African diaspora communities to enhance their contribution in terms of ideas and proposals. The event involved diaspora's representatives in a journey of analysis and debate on the relations between Italy and the African continent in various fields: economics, cooperation, migratory flows governance, political relations.

2017 CeSPI relaunch process begins The CeSPI relaunch process begins with the conference «Italy, Europe and the common Mediterranean fate», attended by the President Emeritus Giorgio Napolitano, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Angelino Alfano and the President of RAI Monica Maggioni. New partnerships are progressively established and a new communication strategy is developed..
2018 Mondòpoli-International Doctoral School on the Sustainable Development Goals A new, important step of the Centre relaunch process is the move to its new headquarters, inaugurated with a Lectio Magistralis by President Romano Prodi: «Africa: The challenge of the XXI century». The portal of geopolitics and international economics Mondòpoli – Sguardi sul mondo and the International Doctoral School on the Sustainable Development Goals are launched.
2018 Partnership with Donzelli Editore The first issue of the CeSPI Yearbook is published, as the result of the editorial relaunch of the Center in partnership with Donzelli Editore, based on a plan that includes the Quaderni CeSPI series and other volumes, as well as a dedicated editorial line on Donzelli's portal.

2019

The System of Observatories

The system of Observatories is developed, for the purpose of analyzing and monitoring the dynamics which affect nations and continents worldwide and some of the main global issues. In addition to the long-established Observatory on the Financial Inclusion of Migrants in Italy, the Turkey Observatory, the Mediterranean-Middle East Observatory, the Human Rights Observatory and the Observatory on Unaccompanied Foreign Minors (MSNA) are launched. The conference organization activity intensifies.

2020

Covid-19 Observatory

Faced with the global health crisis and the slowing down of numerous projects due to the travel ban which prevented the completion of missions abroad, CeSPI changes the organization of work. An increasing number of webinars involving international experts and partners are held and the Covid-19 Observatory is launched with remarkable success, featuring an international comparative analysis on the dynamics of the pandemic and on the causes of lesser or greater spread, as well as on the effectiveness of the different policy measures adopted.

2021

Next Cooperation

The 2021 Report on the Future of Development Cooperation Policies, downloadable in electronic format, is published. The volume is intended as a contribution to the dissemination of the culture of development cooperation and is addressed above all to an audience of young people interested in international issues, as well as to operators in this sector.

2022

CeSPI was recognised as an organisation of the third sector. From 2022 CeSPI became CeSPI ETS