Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will be in Caserta tomorrow, together with his Dutch counterpart, Caspar Veldkamp, for the first event of a new mobilisation campaign for exports started by the Foreign Ministry, which is part of the fourth edition of the Vanvitelli/Van Wittel Roundtable.
The initiative aims to deepen economic relations and business opportunities between the Netherlands and Italy, two of the largest economies in the European Union, and will allow a discussion on the issues of European competitiveness and innovation, with the presence of over 80 Italian and Dutch companies. Trade between Italy and the Netherlands is €55.72 billion in 2024 (+1.9% compared to 2023). Italian exports (€19.32bn in 2024, +4.5% compared to 2023) are focused on the pharmaceutical (€4.97bn), manufacturing (machinery and components, €2.23bn) and agri-food (€2bn) sectors. There are more than 500 Italian companies in the country, employing around 29,000 people, with a turnover of €19bn.
On Minister Tajani’s initiative, the “Vanvitelli” meetings have become an opportunity for holding an increasingly operational business discussion between the two countries, also with the participation of representatives of the industrial and economic communities. The first day of works (7 April) is dedicated to dialogue between Italian and Dutch experts, while on 8 April there will be a business segment focusing, in particular, on opportunities in the industrial, agricultural and security sectors.
The Ministerial session on 8 April, organised in collaboration with ITA, Confindustria and the Dutch Ministry of the Economy, will also be attended by the Confindustria’s Vice President of Young Entrepreneurs, Lorenzo Bagnoli; the Director of Economy and International Trade of the VNO-NCW (Confederation of Dutch Industries), Thomas Grosfeld,; the ITA Director General, Lorenzo Galanti, and the Managing Director of SIMEST, Regina Corradini D’Arienzo.
The “Vanvitelli Rountable” is jointly organised by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and the Dutch think tank Clingendael with the aim of fostering informal dialogue between Italy and the Netherlands on issues of common strategic interest, also at the level of civil society.
