Undersecretary Manlio Di Stefano attended the “Country Presentation – Poland” event which took place yesterday. The event was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ICE-Agenzia, with the collaboration of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, along with the Secretary of State of the Polish Ministry for Economic Development, Grzegorz Piechowiak. Also taking part in the event were the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Rome, Anna Maria Anders, the Ambassador of Italy in Poland, Aldo Amati, the President of ICE-Agenzia, Carlo Ferro, and representatives of Polish government agencies, Italian business and trade associations and the Italian business community.
Before the event, a bilateral meeting was held with Secretary of State Piechowiak. The discussion focused on opportunities to strengthen bilateral economic relations and on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. In this regard, Undersecretary Di Stefano underscored that “Italy appreciates the work done by Poland in welcoming Ukrainian refugees”. He agreed with Secretary of State Piechowiak on the need for “the Member States of the European Union to continue to respond to the crisis in a unified manner, including by evaluating sanctions in the energy sector”.
In opening the Country Presentation, Undersecretary Di Stefano noted the excellent state of bilateral economic-commercial relations and their potential for future growth. In the words of the Hon. Di Stefano, Polish-Italian relations are based “on a concrete and constructive dialogue and on reciprocal collaboration. We enjoy considerable trade with Poland, amounting in 2021 to 28 billion euro (up 23% on 2020). Italy is Poland’s fifth supplier and fifth customer. Over 2,000 Italian firms work there, with a stock of direct foreign investment of more than 8.5 billion euro, according to the figures for 2020”, stated the Undersecretary. “We are focusing today on the importance of strategic sectors such as energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and the business opportunities they present for businesses in our two countries. This is especially so in the light of the ‘twin transitions’ that are of crucial importance to our development processes”, he remarked.
For his part, Carlo Ferro, the President of ICE-Agenzia, which hosted the event, observed that “Italy and Poland have reacted well to the pandemic. Exports by both countries already exceed pre-COVID levels and trade between them grew by 15.9% from 2019 to 2021. Now, with the war, a new and difficult challenge awaits us. Cooperation within the European Union framework, which since 1957 has played a vital role in ensuring social stability and economic growth, will be of fundamental importance in winning that challenge. The production ecosystems of Poland and Italy are characterised by capacity and complementarity. In this context, green technologies, infrastructure and pharmaceuticals, the sectoral topics of today’s meeting, are areas in which our two countries can establish fruitful areas for collaboration. Italy is ready once again to act as a partner for the smart and sustainable development of the world’s economies”.
The event was an important opportunity to consolidate and strengthen the already sound economic partnership between Italy and Poland and to promote new synergies and industrial and business collaboration in key sectors for both economies. “Initiatives like today’s help strengthen and build on the stability and well-being of our peoples, first and foremost, and of our economies”, concluded Undersecretary Di Stefano.
