The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, opened the 13th Internationalisation Steering Committee today at Villa Madama, together with the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso. The Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, the Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, Giacomo La Pietra and the Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Tullio Ferrante also took part in the meeting.
The Internationalisation Steering Committee meets annually at the political level and exercises policy-making powers on the internationalisation of Italian companies.
Before an audience of over 140 trade associations, both present and connected remotely, leading representatives from Confindustria, ABI, Confapi, Confartigianato, Confcommercio, Unioncamere together with the Heads of the Italian System’s Agencies, including the ITA President, Matteo Zoppas, the CEO of SACE, Alessandra Ricci, the CEO of SIMEST, Regina Corradini d’Arienzo, the Director of European and International Affairs of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Pasquale Salzano, and the President of ENIT, Alessandra Priante, participated in the meeting.
The meeting focused on strategies to protect Italian companies on international markets and increase their competitiveness in the face of the current pressing geopolitical challenges. Indeed, ISTAT data shows that Italian exports are holding up even in a very complex global scenario. The decline in value recorded in 2024 (623.5 billion) was only slightly affected by the slowdown in the European economy and the international context. A further demonstration of the vitality of our production sector and the international projection of Italian companies was the real leap forward in the Italian trade surplus (+61%), reaching almost 55 billion. Again in 2024 exports to the non-EU area also reached a record 305 billion (+1.2% compared to 2023, the highest value in the last 10 years).
Against this background, we need to develop innovative strategies to respond to increasingly intense external pressures and the uncertainty caused by the prospect of new tariffs.
The Internationalisation Steering Committee therefore discussed a strategy hinging around targeted initiatives, including economic forums and business missions in the sector, which will provide further leverage to expand Italy’s presence in emerging markets without forgetting consolidation in mature markets, ensuring the market share of Italian companies.
At the European level, Italy’s action needs to be directed towards a more competitive European trade policy, open to market diversification and the strengthening of value chains, naturally protecting Italian supply chains.
Special attention was finally paid to events of great international relevance, such as the next Ukraine Recovery Conference, scheduled in Rome on 10 and 11 July, and to sports diplomacy, which in 2025 will see the consolidation of the “Day of Italian Sport in the World”, designed to providing maximum support and visibility to the next Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milan-Cortina 2026. 2025 will also be the year of the Osaka World Expo. From April, the Italian Pavilion in Osaka will be an extraordinary outpost to showcase the excellence of the Italian System throughout Asia.