King Felipe travels to Italy for COTEC Europe 2026 meeting

King Felipe of Spain has travelled to Italy for the COTEC Europe 2026 Meeting.

The meeting was held at the Giorgio Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The King was joined by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and the President of the Portuguese Republic, António José Seguro.

King Felipe was greeted at Marco Polo International Airport by the Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Riccardo Guariglia, and by the Spanish Ambassador to Italy, Miguel Fernández-Palacios.

Inside the foundation, the King was received by the President of the Cini Foundation, Gianfelice Rocca; the Secretary General of the Foundation, Renata Codello; the President of COTEC Italy, Fabiola Gianotti; the President of COTEC Portugal, Philip de Botton; and the President of the Board of Trustees of the COTEC Foundation, Cristina Garmendia. The meeting took place in the Tapestry Room.

The president of COTEC Italy held a speech, and collaboration agreements between the presidents of COTEC Italy, Spain, and Portugal were signed. The president of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, also addressed the audience, as did the King and both Presidents.

The meeting worked under the theme “Rethinking Work in the Age of AI: Transformation, Opportunity, Governance.”

After the meeting, the King travelled to the Doge’s Palace, where he was received by the President of the Veneto Region, Alberto Stafani, and the Mayor of Venice, Simone Venturini. He toured St. Mark’s Basilica, the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and the Grand Canal.