Leggi in italianoValeria Zanini is a Policy Advisor Climate Diplomacy at ECCO.
Valeria works on international climate, energy and finance policy, with a focus on UNFCCC negotiations and relations between Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa. At ECCO, she contributes to the strategic analysis of multilateral climate processes and supports the think tank’s positioning in international negotiations, attending conferences and fostering dialogue with diplomatic missions, delegations and international organisations.
Before joining ECCO, she was a researcher and Climate Diplomacy Focal Point at the Eni Enrico Mattei Foundation, where she followed climate negotiations and key multilateral processes on sustainable finance. Valeria also contributed to scenario analysis and policy development for the energy transition in the Mediterranean, and managed projects in francophone Africa in the fields of clean cooking and agro-industry. Previously, she worked in Brussels at the European Anti-Poverty Network, focusing on energy poverty and a just transition within the framework of the Green Deal. She has authored articles and analyses on the energy transition, climate governance and international cooperation for both Italian and international think tanks and journals.
Valeria holds a degree in Global Politics and Society from the University of Milan, where she specialised in the role of interest groups in shaping European climate and energy policy, also carrying out research at the Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (IDDRI) in Paris. She previously earned a degree in Philosophy from La Sapienza University of Rome, with a thesis on the application of Freudian theory to political communication. Her academic and professional journey has taken her across Italy, France and Denmark.