Today the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, chaired the fifth meeting of the “Working Table on the Evolution of the Situation of Italian Companies in Russia” at the Foreign Ministry. The meeting was dedicated to protecting the interests of our business sector, which continues to operate in the country in full compliance with the current sanctions framework.
The topics discussed included the effective implementation of sanctions to avoid distorting the Italian economy; banking and customs issues related to the sanctions framework; investment protection; and authorizations issued by individual competent national authorities, which allow the export/import of otherwise sanctioned goods if certain conditions are met. Specific cases of difficulties encountered by individual companies were also examined.
While recalling Italy’s close coordination with the United States in the context of peace mediation in Ukraine, Minister Tajani reiterated the Government’s ongoing commitment to protecting the legitimate interests of Italian companies operating in Russia. The Foreign Minister highlighted the commitment of the entire Italian system to providing assistance and concrete solutions through renewed teamwork between institutions and economic operators. The concrete examples mentioned by Tajani included the clause in the 18th sanctions package, which enables Italian companies in the food and pharmaceutical packaging sectors to continue exporting subject to authorization, and the ongoing work to enable subsidized financing for Italian companies with subsidiaries in Russia.
The Table organized by the Foreign Ministry also saw the participation of Ambassador-designate Stefano Beltrame, delegates from the Customs and Monopolies Agency, the Bank of Italy, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), as well as trade associations and companies. The Italian Embassy in Moscow and trade associations representing the Italian business community in Russia (GIM Unimpresa; Confindustria Russia; Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce) also participated remotely.
The participants expressed their appreciation for this model of public-private dialogue, which will continue to be convened on a regular basis.
