The Directors of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo, AICS) Marco Riccardo Rusconi and of the Customs and Monopolies Agency (Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli, ADM) Roberto Alesse today signed a Cooperation Agreement at the Italian Foreign Ministry in the presence of Italy’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli, and Deputy Minister for the Economy and Finance Maurizio Leo. The cooperation between the two Agencies will contribute to strengthening the action of the Italian Cooperation, starting from that in the southern shore of the Mediterranean, Africa and the Balkans, and will be able to favour economic operators engaged in import and export operations in these areas.
As underlined by Deputy Minister Cirielli, “thanks to the agreement signed today, the Customs Agency will be more involved than in the past in important cooperation projects, to be framed within the broader strategic vision desired by the Italian Government through the Mattei Plan. The role of ADM, continued Cirielli, “is based on its consolidated and recognised experience in previous cooperation and capacity building projects supporting third countries in crucial areas”.
“The signing of this agreement,” said Deputy Minister Maurizio Leo, “is the result of public administrations ‘working as a system’. In this way, the expertise and professional skills of the two leading institutions are brought together to promote international cooperation in countries of strategic interest to Italy”, continued the Deputy Minister, “In fact, by creating the best synergies between the Institutions of the Italian Republic, we are able to better meet the ever-changing needs of the times”, he concluded.
“In order to improve the quality of our activities”, said the Director of AICS Marco Riccardo Rusconi, “it is essential to avail ourselves of excellences such as ADM, which will participate in projects financed by AICS, such as assistance, support and training programmes, to further structure the activities of the Italian Cooperation”.
“ADM will provide its vast technical expertise for the implementation of cooperation projects. This will undoubtedly also have a positive impact on economic operators working in certain geographical contexts, and will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Mattei Plan in support of the most disadvantaged countries”, said Director Alesse on the sidelines of the event.
