Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani is in Mumbai today for the Italy–India Business Forum, the third edition in 2025 following those held in New Delhi (April) and Brescia (June). The Forum, co-chaired with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, and organised with the support of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), focuses on economic cooperation in the automotive, renewable energy, sports technology and agrifood sectors, with the participation – among others – of CDP, SIMEST, SACE, Italian Trade Agency and Confindustria. The Forum will also feature a cross-cutting focus on technology and innovation.
Bilateral trade between Italy and India reached EUR 14.3 billion in 2024, with Italian exports amounting to EUR 5.2 billion (+0.8%) and Indian imports to EUR 9.1 billion (-0.4%). The shared goal is to raise annual trade to EUR 20 billion by 2029.
“India is one of the priority countries identified in Italy’s Export Action Plan. Together with our entire diplomatic and consular network, we are consistently providing assistance and support to Italian companies wishing to invest in India, as also demonstrated by the launch of the EUR 200 million ‘India’ facility to strengthen the competitiveness of our businesses in the country,” underlined Minister Tajani. He added that “the opening of an Innovation Centre in India will act as a platform connecting universities, research centres and innovative companies, thereby fostering the development of joint technological and scientific projects”.
The meeting in Mumbai represents a key step in strengthening economic and institutional ties between Italy and India and marks further progress towards making India an increasingly strategic partner. This is also evidenced by the stock of Indian Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which reached EUR 350 million in 2024, and the presence of around 130 Indian-owned companies in Italy, employing over 8,000 people and generating a turnover of more than EUR 4 billion. These investments mainly concern the industrial (pharmaceutical, chemical, electronics) and services (design, engineering) sectors.
Within the framework of the Business Forum, Minister Tajani will meet representatives of India’s “unicorns” – including Zetwerk, Paytm and Easy My Trip – which are emblematic of the country’s vibrant technological ecosystem. He will then hold a series of bilateral meetings with the Chairs of major Indian industrial groups, including Kumar Mangalam Birla (Birla Group), Natarajan Chandrasekaran (Tata Group) and Prakash Parmanand Hinduja (Hinduja Group Europe). Finally, on the margins of the event, the Minister will take part in an exchange with representatives of the Italy–India Entrepreneurs Association, further strengthening opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.
