Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. won the Mercury Award 2012 of the Italian-German economic association Mercurio-DIW (Deutsch-italienische Wirtschaftsgesellschaft), which is awarded to outstanding companies or projects that seek to maintain economic and commercial relations between Italy and Germany.
Exceptional contribution to the image of high technology and Italian design worldwide
The award was for the exceptional contribution that the iconic Italian motorcycle company has given to the image of high technology and Italian design throughout the world and for its special role in the world of sport. Ducati’s extraordinary commitment reached a peak in 2011 through its partnership with Mercedes AMG and, finally, with Volkswagen-Audi, which gave a major positive boost to Italy’s image in Germany and throughout the world. Ducati contributes to the extraordinary synergy between Italian and German industries, strengthening the transfer of know-how and technology, maintaining jobs and furthering dialogue and cultural exchange between the two countries.
Special recognition was given to the Chairman and Managing Director of the GranitiFiandre Group, a prominent leader in the famous tile-making district of the Sassuolo area, along with Radio Colonia (the Italian editorial desk of the North Rhine-Westphalia (WDR) radio/television broadcaster) for its journalism and, in particular, for its special role as a bridge between Italian and German cultures, promoting integration between the populations in the social/economic fabric of that area, the most densely populated in Germany and the locomotive of the German economy.
Mercury Award proves intensity and depth of Italian-German economic/commercial relations
Representing the Italian Embassy, Minister Giovanni Pugliese undercored in his welcoming speech that the Mercury Award was proof of the intensity and depth of bilateral economic/commercial relations, the support of which, from the point of view of broadening bilateral cooperation, constitutes an important goal for the Italian diplomatic mission in Berlin. Minister Pugliese pointed out that total Italian-German trade had exceeded €110 billion in 2011 and that, despite the current uncertainty in the world economy, potential for reciprocal commercial relations and investments remained strong.
The Mercury association was founded in 1988 in Düsseldorf, upon the initiative of the Düsseldorf Institute for Foreign Trade (I.C.E.) and the Italian Consulate General of Cologne, with the support of the Italian Embassy, to promote bilateral relations, provide a setting for encounter and debate, encourage synergies between companies and institutions and contribute to intensifying mutual economic and cultural understanding.
