The series of in-depth columns curated by Michele Muratori, group leader of Libera, continues, dedicated to analysing current political affairs, the main institutional challenges and the issues of greatest interest to the Republic of San Marino.
There is a subtle and profound irony in the way we have told the story of our freedom over the centuries. The history of our Republic has always been the history of a tenacious people, capable of defending their borders, their identity and their political independence in the face of Europe’s great upheavals. And yet, in more recent decades, we have often lulled ourselves into the illusion that sovereignty could be confined to formal or institutional matters, forgetting that the real autonomy of a community is measured every day by things that are far more basic and concrete. We have grown used to regarding energy and water as invisible, taken-for-granted presences — resources to be passively delegated to the dynamics of international markets or to the goodwill of neighbouring countries — without ever asking ourselves what political and economic price we were truly paying.
When recent geopolitical storms and speculative crises began shaking the planet, the veil of old certainties suddenly fell away. The emperor has no clothes, some might say. And all at once we saw first-hand the fragility of a model in which families and businesses risked being left at the mercy of decisions made elsewhere, exposed to sudden price hikes and the instability of global market fluctuations. It was an abrupt wake-up call, one that reminded us of a fundamental truth: there can be no real freedom for a State if its primary, vital resources are not secured.
Out of this awareness, an entirely new challenge is taking shape — one written with the understanding that the small size of a country must never be a limit on the scale of its ambitions. San Marino’s response to this call of history begins right here, on our own soil, and looks boldly towards the future.
The starting point of this journey was the strategic investment in the Visano photovoltaic plant, a symbolic project that will cover roughly 7% of our national energy needs. This may seem a modest first step when set against total consumption, but it actually represents an unprecedented cultural and infrastructural turning point. Yet investment in the sector will certainly not stop with Visano coming online, because this milestone must be understood only as the foundation stone of a far broader design.
Our country’s real, non-negotiable goal must be to raise the bar much higher, reaching at least 80% of our energy self-sufficiency. After all, the sun that warms San Marino and the Italian peninsula is a completely free resource, and it would truly be foolish, as well as unforgivable, not to make full use of it.
Achieving such an ambitious goal requires a coordinated and diversified vision, capable of moving on several fronts at once. It means continuing to cover public administration buildings with solar panels, turning State-owned property into the leading engine of the transition, while at the same time continuing to promote and strengthen incentives for citizens and entrepreneurs who wish to convert their homes and businesses. Every private rooftop and every industrial building that chooses clean energy becomes a small piece of a much larger national security network.
However, sovereignty cannot be built overnight, nor can it rest solely on domestic production. And while determined efforts continue to grow the share of renewables, it is essential to manage the present with geopolitical intelligence and practical sense. It is precisely within this space of responsibility that the crucial supply agreement signed by AASS with Azerbaijan’s SOCAR for fixed-cost gas procurement comes into play.
At a time when the cost of raw materials has reached dizzying heights across Europe, plunging entire nations into uncertainty, our community has managed to build a solid tariff shield. This wise strategic move has made it possible to freeze prices and sweep away the nightmare of speculative fluctuations, giving San Marino’s industrial fabric precious financial stability, allowing it to keep producing and planning for the future, and guaranteeing families the peace of mind of transparent, sustainable bills.
Crowning this grand design to secure the country’s future, we cannot overlook the indissoluble link between energy and water resource management. There can be no true energy or industrial autonomy without protecting water, the most precious asset of any civilisation. It is in this light that we should read the far-sighted decision to proceed with the expansion of the Torello Lake basin. This major water infrastructure project will guarantee our Republic self-sufficiency in supply for at least three consecutive months, creating a genuine strategic reserve capable of protecting the population and economic activities from prolonged drought or sudden disruptions to external supplies.
Completing this mosaic of independence is one final piece: environmental responsibility in waste management. A mature Republic does not hide its waste beyond its borders; rather, it equips itself with a modern, sustainable vision that meets the highest European standards. Looking to the future with courage means moving beyond ideological divides and evaluating — with the support of the best available technologies and with full protection of health and the environment — projects to recover value from waste and close the cycle within our own territory. Turning a potential vulnerability into an opportunity for self-sufficiency and clean development is the true hallmark of a State that knows how to take care of itself.
By bringing together the light and energy produced by our sun at Visano, the stability guaranteed by the gas agreements, the water security provided by Torello, and a finally mature vision for managing waste resources, our community is showing that true independence is not passively awaited — it is planned. It is proof of a land that knows how to make the most of what nature offers it and how to face every present-day challenge with clarity, so as to hand down to future generations a strong, sustainable country that is genuinely master of its own destiny.
