(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 12 APR - TRIESTE, APRIL 12 - The cross-border Hydrogen Valley of the Upper Adriatic, which is already underway between Friuli Venezia Giulia, Slovenia, and Croatia, is making progress and has all the credentials to produce investments aimed at energy autonomy of the whole area.The project, which puts the FVG Region at the forefront in Italy and Europe, is being discussed at the Annual Conference Scientific System and Innovation of Friuli Venezia Giulia-Sis FVG, focusing on "The scenarios of the energy transition." "Thanks to the initiative taken by our Region with Slovenia and Croatia, for the first time, there is a political will to create a transnational hydrogen valley in the northern Adriatic. And this commitment makes the valley an achievable goal," said Stephen Taylor, deputy director-general of Trieste Area Science Park. Taylor coordinates the Hydrogen Valley Working Group (composed of Massimo Canali for the Region Fvg, representatives of two ministries for Slovenia and Croatia).Last March, the President of the FVG Region, Massimiliano Fedriga, signed a trilateral letter of intent with the two neighboring countries. The document envisaged a path of collaboration to share "expertise, research, innovative solutions, investment opportunities," oriented to the use of hydrogen "to drive energy transition, industrial conversion, and decarbonization in different economic sectors." The conference also focused on the hydrogen projects at the EU level. "In Europe, the actions put in place by the EU Member States are multiplying after the launch in July 2020 of the European strategy for hydrogen by the Commission", said Giorgio Graditi, director of the Department of Energy Technologies and Renewable Energy Sources of ENEA. "In light of the current production and energy supply scenarios - he added - it is reasonable to imagine a change of pace throughout the continent to create a hydrogen economy." Graditi pointed out that France has a national strategy providing investments of over 7 billion euros to develop green hydrogen. Germany launched its plan in July 2020, and 9 of the 130 billion euros provided by the RP 2020-2021 will support hydrogen projects.Great Britain, a trailblazer in the study of hydrogen, launched on November 18, 2020, the 10-point plan of the 'Green industrial revolution,' which provides for the investment of 12 billion pounds by 2030. The Netherlands, one of the first countries in Europe to approve a hydrogen strategy, is now more determined than ever to become the Hydrogen Valley of Europe." Finally, the countries of southern Europe aim to create a Mediterranean hydrogen hub that functions as a bridge between south and northern Europe. "Among these countries - Graditi underlined - Italy and Spain are ready to invest in hydrogen, especially Madrid, which intends to allocate almost 9 billion euros in the coming ten years". (ANSA).