Nowadays, Italy is also part of great power concerts such as the EU trio, the NATO Quint, the G7 and various International Contact Groups.[5][6][7][8][9][10] Italy is also one of the UN's major funders, the leading nation of the Uniting for Consensus and serves as one of the states of "chief" importance in providing shipping services,[11] air transport, and industrial development. Alternative terms used by academics and observers to describe this concept include "intermittent major power" and "small great power".[12][13]