The second Italian edition of ‘Market Access Day’, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the European Commission, took place at the Farnesina. The aim of the event was to highlight the opportunities offered to Italian companies by the European Union’s trade policy, through the instruments it uses to help overcome barriers to access to third-country markets.
In his message for the event, Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani highlighted the importance of Market Access Day as a key event within the framework of ‘Growth Diplomacy’, emphasising that market access is central to the diversification strategy promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister emphasised that overcoming all the obstacles that hinder trade is a key objective for the Government: “In 2025, our exports reached a record high of EUR 643 billion. In the first seven months of 2026, exports grew by 4.6 per cent. We are aiming to reach EUR 700 billion by 2027.”
The approximately 100 companies and trade associations in attendance were able to discuss in detail, directly with representatives from the European Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF), ITA – the Italian Trade Agency, SIMEST and the Bank of Italy, the tools that the EU’s trade policy uses to open up new markets for Italian exports. This approach is based, first and foremost, on the extensive global network of free trade agreements and on ongoing efforts to tackle non-tariff barriers to trade, starting with sanitary and phytosanitary barriers that hinder exports in the agri-food sector. The EU’s instruments for protecting European industry from imports fuelled by unfair trading practices were also examined.
Among the free trade agreements concluded by the European Union, the discussion centred on those with Mercosur and India, and on the significant positive implications for Italian exporting companies. Finally, the key role played by trade associations, ITA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ diplomatic and consular network in identifying, gathering and reporting non-tariff barriers to trade was highlighted. Thanks to the open dialogue that characterised the event, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Commission gathered numerous ideas and suggestions that will help to guide the Government’s efforts to facilitate access to third-country markets for Italian companies even more effectively.
