(ANSA) - TRIESTE - Italy's Minister for Economic Development Carlo Calenda and Janez Kopac, director of Energy Community Secretariat, signed today an agreement on electric power.

According to this deal, Italy will be committed to providing technical assistance and technological knowhow to the process of integration of the Balkan energy grids into those of the rest of Europe. The signing took place at the closing panel of the Business Forum, collateral event of the Western Balkans Summit in Trieste. Fabrizio Lucentini, general manager of the Economic Development Minister, said that ''Italy thus becomes the main supporter of the initiative aimed at integrating the Balkan electricity markets with the European ones''. Delivering the closing address at the Forum, minister Calenda highlighted that the Balkan countries integration into the EU is very important to Italy, and underlined Italy's key role in supporting the creation of an energy market ''that has to support these countries''.