The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in collaboration with ITA, the Italian Embassy in Skopje and the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, organizes a North Macedonia – Italy Business Forum in Skopje, on Wednesday, 2 July, 2025, a North Macedonia – Italy Business Forum.
North Macedonia has a dynamic economy, with a constant GDP growth, always above 2% per year since 2020 and equal to 3% in the first quarter of 2025. The country is engaged in the process of accession to the European Union and increasingly open to foreign investment.
The Macedonian Government, which took office in June 2024, has launched important investment plans in the sectors of energy transition, infrastructure, circular economy and industry, supported by EU pre-accession programs and by financing from the EBRD and the EIB. In the infrastructure field, the modernization of roads and railways is underway along Corridors VIII (with Bulgaria and Albania) and X (with Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece) of the TEN-T network. In the energy sector, investment is planned in renewable energy sources, interconnection infrastructure with neighbouring countries, combined cycle plants and development of wind farms. Further programs are dedicated to the construction of plants for waste management and recycling. Finally, in the agri-industrial sector, opportunities are opening up related to the development of production with advanced technologies and precision agriculture.
Italy and North Macedonia already boast solid economic relations, with trade that in 2024 reached €558 million (+3.7% compared to 2023), of which €365 million of Italian exports (+8%) and around a hundred Italian companies already active in the country. The potential for expansion of trade and investment is significant, especially in sectors with high technological and infrastructural content.
The Forum is therefore a concrete opportunity to provide further momentum to bilateral economic relations, to delve into the methods of access to available financing, to facilitate the entry of Italian companies into the local market, to promote technological and industrial collaborations and to encourage the transfer of know-how.
In addition to an opening plenary session, the program envisages three working tables dedicated to the following sectors:
- infrastructure;
- energy transition and circular economy;
- technological innovation (Agri-tech and Industry 5.0).
This will be followed by an in-depth analysis of the financial instruments for internationalization activated by SIMEST, SACE, CDP, FINEST, BERS and EIB.
During the Business Forum, participating Italian and Macedonian companies will have the opportunity to take part in B2B, B2G and B to “Italian System in North Macedonia” meetings.
The works will be held in Italian and Macedonian with simultaneous translation.
