(by Enrico Tibuzzi)
Mission accomplished.
The Amerigo Vespucci is about to leave Mumbai to continue its
world tour and it is already time to draw up a balance sheet of
the 28th stage, which achieved positive results, not just in
terms of visitor numbers.
The operation in Mumbai, where the Italian Navy training ship
docked for the first time in its 93-year--long history, had an
even more important objective: to be a turning point for
economic relations between Italy and India after the signing of
a five-year strategic plan between the two counties by the
respective premiers, Giorgia Meloni and Narendra Modi, on the
sidelines of the recent G20 summit in Rio.
"Italy and India can become the ring connecting Europe and
South-East Asia," stressed Business and Made in Italy Minister
Adolfo Urso on Sunday as he met the representatives of some
Italian companies that are leaders in their sectors and have
been successfully operating for several years in the market of
the country with the biggest population in the world after
overtaking China.
Brembo, Marposs, Bauli, Coesia and Poltrone Frau are Italian
companies of excellence that show how it is possible to set up
shop in what is destined to become the world's third-biggest
economy in a few years.
Naturally, there is no shortage of difficulties, but what is at
stake and the business opportunities that can be taken -
according to what emerged during the meetings at the 'Villaggio
Italia' set up on the quay where the Vespucci docked - must not
be missed.
"Prospects have never been so good," said Alessandro Giuliani,
President of the Italian-Indian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry.
"And in Italy there is not enough awareness of the potential to
increase bilateral investment".
At the moment, around 800 Italian companies are present in India
and only half of them have production facilities in the country.
The value of trade has reached almost 15 billion euros, with
exports from Italy to India up by 7.6% in 2023, with 40% made up
of machinery.
But Urso is convinced that the time has come to move on to a
more structured partnership that focuses on investments.
Investments like those that Indian steel companies are set to
undertake in Piombino (Jindal) and Taranto (Vulcan Steel has
expressed interest in the former Ilva plants) and which the
minister spoke about during his visit to Mumbai before moving on
to New Delhi.
In the capital he is set to meet six ministers, in addition to
important companies, after the bilateral meeting held here with
the head of the Ports Department.
But it's not just steel giants that are looking to Italy.
"The interest by various funds in the possibility of investing
was tangible," said Difesa Servizi CEO Luca Andreoli.
"Our friends at the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy will
be better able to describe it in quantitative terms.
"However, we felt it very strongly."
Andreoli, who leads the defence ministry company that implements
and supports all the phases of the initiatives linked to the
Vespucci world tour, said he was "very satisfied" with the
results achieved during the Mumbai stage.
"We can draw up an initial balance sheet even if Villaggio
Italia is still open," he said.
As with previous stages - the Vespucci-Villaggio Italia tandem
that Defence Minister Guido Crosetto wanted, and which has
already taken our country's excellence to Los Angeles, Tokyo,
Darwin and Singapore - the results surpassed expectations, he
observed.
"I must say that we registered a margin of improvement in
absolute terms too," he said.
He said that the visit to India's economic and financial capital
"shows that this is a surprising country".
In the four days it was open to the public, the flow of visitors
who climbed aboard Vespucci and were able to see a selection of
the most important pieces in the history of Italian design and
ingenuity up close was non stop.
This bears witness to an interest which, according to a survey
conducted by tourism agency Enit among some local tour
operators, should translate into a constant increase in tourist
numbers to Italy in the coming years.
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