Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani is in São Paulo today for the second leg of his system mission to South America, leading a delegation of over 100 Italian companies. This is Minister Tajani’s third visit to Brazil since the beginning of his term in office and forms part of the Government’s efforts to strengthen Italy’s economic presence in markets with the greatest potential. Brazil is one of the priority countries identified under the Italian Export Action Plan. During the first of his two days in São Paulo, the Minister will focus on consolidating the economic partnership, supporting export growth and creating new opportunities for Italian businesses.
The day will begin with meetings with Minister for Development, Industry, Trade and Services Márcio Rosa and Paulo Skaf, President of FIESP, the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo. Discussions will continue at 3:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. Italian time) with the plenary session of the Bilateral Forum, which Minister Tajani will open together with Rosa and Skaf and which will focus on opportunities for cooperation between the two countries’ business and industrial systems. The session will also be attended by Confindustria President Emanuele Orsini, Italian Trade Agency President Matteo Zoppas, the heads of SACE and SIMEST, CDP executives, as well as representatives of Italian and Brazilian institutions and business communities.
The mission seeks to build on the potential of an already particularly strong economic relationship. Brazil is Italy’s leading trading partner in South America and the main destination market for Italian exports within Mercosur, accounting for 76.6% of Italian exports to the region. In 2025, bilateral trade reached EUR 11.07 billion, up 6.7%, with Italian exports amounting to EUR 5.8 billion and Italy posting a positive trade balance of EUR 512 million. These solid foundations are complemented by the new opportunities arising from the EU-Mercosur Agreement: in the first month following its entry into force, both Italian exports to Brazil (+22.3%) and imports from Brazil (+21.8%) recorded significant growth.
The prospects for further strengthening Italy’s presence in Brazil will also be at the centre of Minister Tajani’s meeting at 5:00 p.m. at Almaviva’s headquarters with selected CEOs of Italian companies operating in Brazil, together with representatives of the Italian System and Confindustria. During the afternoon, the Minister will also meet the Italian Consuls in Brazil and staff from the Consulate General of Italy in São Paulo, representatives of a consular network which, over the course of 2025, issued a total of 93,429 passports and processed more than 117,000 AIRE registrations.
The first day in São Paulo will conclude with a meeting with the Italian community and business leaders from both countries, further highlighting the depth of the human ties that underpin the economic relations between Italy and Brazil. Brazil is home to the second-largest Italian community abroad, with approximately 970,000 Italian nationals (+8% compared with one year ago), and has the world’s largest population of people of Italian descent, numbering approximately 32 million. Engaging this community in initiatives promoting Turismo delle Radici (Tourism of Roots) is a strategic objective.
