PhotoANSA 2025 in Brussels highlights Europe’s security challenges

PhotoANSA 2025 arrived in Brussels and, at the Italian Cultural Institute, the volume that brings together the most significant images of the past year served as a lens through which to read the present and the future of the European Union.

The discussion was led by ANSA Director Luigi Contu, who guided the audience through the major issues shaping the European agenda, CE Report quotes ANSA.

On stage, European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission Executive Vice President Raffaele Fitto, former Doctors Without Borders Director General Meinie Nicolai, and Italy’s Undersecretary of State for Information and Publishing Alberto Barachini took turns speaking, following the introduction by ANSA CEO Stefano De Alessandri and the institutional greetings from Pierre Di Toro, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Brussels; Federica Favi, Italy’s Ambassador to Belgium; Vincenzo Celeste, Italy’s Permanent Representative to the EU; and Alessandro Azzoni, Italy’s Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council.

2025 has been a year of challenges for the Union, but also a turning point that has redefined the scope of its action.

“It is now clear that a stronger European defense is essential to preserve transatlantic relations,” Costa stressed, referring to Trump’s return to the White House.

“His position has helped bring about a common stance in Europe,” said the European Council President, who believes the EU does not need “27 large armies” but rather “27 member states contributing to a common defense,” focusing on complementarity, standardization and interoperability. Support for Kyiv remains, in the assurances of the former Portuguese prime minister, a non-negotiable red line. Even without full backing from Washington, Europe has shown it can hold firm, as demonstrated by the historic decision taken by EU leaders in December to grant a €90-billion loan to Kyiv.

“The election of Trump is a major element of change,” Fitto noted, “but the transatlantic bond remains fundamental,” before turning the spotlight on the issue of resources.

“If we say we want to launch a major investment plan, we also have to say how we will finance it. Otherwise, the argument is incomplete,” warned the EU’s cohesion policy chief, without ruling out that the issue of common debt and a possible new Recovery plan could return to the leaders’ table. “With the conflicts underway, the EU has been subjected to an unprecedented stress test,” said Ambassador Celeste, but it has confirmed “its ability to be a positive player on the global stage, capable of acting assertively and constructively through dialogue and engagement.”

The issue of common security ran through the entire debate, extending well beyond the military dimension.

“Today, talking about security goes beyond hard security. It is not only about defense or war, but about protecting who we are and what we represent,” Azzoni said, noting that “in this framework, journalists and photographers become an integral part of collective security.”

For this reason, the ambassador announced plans to bring an exhibition of ANSA photographs to NATO headquarters to highlight Italy’s contribution to international security. The role of information and news agencies, De Alessandri added, represents “a bulwark against rampant disinformation and fake news” and is now facing the challenge of artificial intelligence, “a revolution that will affect not only our lives but also our profession.”

Costa echoed this view: “At this moment, the press is more important than ever. In the age of social media, journalists are a safety net. They are in the trenches against fake news,” he said, in full agreement with Barachini.

“Photography tells a small piece of truth and, when certified by an agency like ANSA, which also has a policy on the use of artificial intelligence, it truly represents a new frontier of journalism,” said the Undersecretary for Publishing, defining the mission as “bringing citizens back to trusting what they see, hear and read.”

Photo: Dal profilo X di Antonio Costa