“It is with great satisfaction that we welcome the European Commission’s decision to authorise the 63-million-euro aid package allocated by the Italian Government to companies operating in the trade fair sector affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Trade fairs play a decisive role both in supporting the internationalisation effort of the country’s economy as a whole and boosting the local economies of the areas in which they are held. Therefore, I believe that supporting trade fairs means supporting a crucial sector for our economy, which has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic and is therefore in dire need of special measures.
The approval of the aid by Brussels will allow us to reimburse up to 10 million euros of fixed costs incurred by trade fairs entities and organisers which were not covered by profits, insurance or other types of aid last year. I would also emphasise that this 63-million-euro package allocated by the Italian Government, and authorised by the Commission today, comes on top of the almost 100 million euros already earmarked through the “394 Fund” managed by Simest, for the capitalisation of 43 trade fair entities and organisers. I will be personally committed to ensuring that this sector continues to receive the necessary resources to overcome this difficult phase.”
This was the comment by the Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, on the decision made public today by the European Commission, which approved the aid plan prepared by Italy in favour of the trade fair management companies and the organisers of trade fair events whose activities have been severely affected by the pandemic.