Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan and his Italian counterpart  Stefania Prestigiacomo signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) of environmental protection and development between Jerusalem and Rome, an Israeli Environmental Protection Ministry statement said.

The MOU includes cooperation agreements in various fields, including renewable energy and water conservation and curbing emission and desertification.

Israel and Italy will form a joint commission, to be headed by their respective environmental ministries directors-general. The commission will locate suitable projects and those will be funded by both nations, via a mutual €4 million fund.