Padua, 2 May 2017<\/p>\n
(The authentic text is only the one actually delivered)<\/i><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr. Marco Stevanato (Confindustria Padova’s Delegate for internationalization)
Dear friends and entrepreneurs,
Thank you very much for the warm welcome.<\/p>\n
My visit is part of a tour that is taking me across Italy, from North to\u00a0 South, that we have called “The Farnesina Meets Companies”.<\/p>\n
I am very pleased to be here in the beautiful Veneto Region, where we can breathe a special air, that of an entrepreneurial spirit, that helps\u00a0 Italy grow and represents us in the world.<\/p>\n
The Veneto Region has overcome the difficulties of these recent years and its economy has\u00a0 started growing again since 2015. A large proportion of its success\u00a0 stems from its actions on international markets.<\/p>\n
In 2016 Veneto\u00a0 could boast a trade volume exceeding 100 billion euros, with exports\u00a0 totalling 58.2 billion euros ( 42.7% of GDP in 2015, up from 37.5% in\u00a0 2010), a value which is nearly twice what the national figure is (Italy\u00a0 28.2%).<\/p>\n
Veneto accounts for 14% of national exports, second only to the Lombardy Region. Extraordinary manufacturing\u00a0 enterprises and top-quality machinery are the engines of the region’s\u00a0 exports.<\/p>\n
However the exceptional nature of this territory lies in the vast universe of small- and medium-sized enterprises that have no\u00a0 equals in their capacity to innovate, promoting a strong work ethic, a\u00a0 sense of family and community. These are the ingredients of success!<\/p>\n
Recently I read about a conference that took place in the city of Padua.It was focused on the value of enterprises and their products and how they contribute to the history of a territory. It is a heritage that deserves to be preserved and told to stay alive in the hearts and minds of the future generations. Here we have a wealth of knowledge and excellence which has no equal in the world.<\/p>\n
During the Renaissance, Padua was the cradle of a major scientific revolution which spread across Europe. Science, culture and enterprises are not separated worlds, as it is well known here in Padua. Enterprises represent the excellence of our creative industry and as such they are an important part of our image abroad.<\/p>\n
Protecting the “Italian\u00a0 brand” is one of my economic diplomacy priorities. We must stay committed to\u00a0 defending our geographical indications of origin, to countering the\u00a0 spread of Italian-sounding products and “food traffic light” policies,\u00a0 and to protecting intellectual and industrial property.<\/p>\n
More\u00a0 generally, economic diplomacy is an effective tool to stop the rise of protectionism,\u00a0 however disguised it may be, and to remove non-tariff barriers to our\u00a0 products, by asserting our position in free trade agreements.<\/p>\n
I care\u00a0 about Italy’s role in the world, which is why I believe in opening up\u00a0 markets. This is because for an exporting country like ours,\u00a0 protectionism has never been the right answer. Italy depends on\u00a0 international trade for growth.<\/p>\n
Regardless of the rhetoric, the stakes are high, and entrepreneurs like you have to make an extra effort to defend free trade.<\/p>\n
I also believe in more Europe, not less Europe, because, in an\u00a0 increasingly wide global market, we would stand in a weaker position if we did not have Europe. Europe\u00a0 helps us defend our products in the world.<\/p>\n
However, I also\u00a0 believe that Europe should make the most of its potential: the Single\u00a0 Market, the Economic and Monetary Union, and international trade\u00a0 policies.<\/p>\n
It would be foolish to exit the Euro now! We should always remember that the Euro has guaranteed the value of the homes,\u00a0 savings and pensions of our citizens. If we left the Euro, there would\u00a0 be a serious risk of their value and the wealth of Italians being\u00a0 halved.<\/p>\n
The Euro has protected us against an economic crisis that could have been far more severe and offers us very low interest rates,\u00a0 which allow us to pay off our loans and fund growth. In the past, with\u00a0 the “Lira”, interest rates were as high as 20%.<\/p>\n
A few days ago,\u00a0 the European Commission published data on the Eurozone confidence,\u00a0 which has risen to levels that haven’t been seen in 10 years!<\/p>\n
Still on a positive note, world trade has started growing again at a rate we have not seen in almost seven years.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, too many global investors have been obsessed with the “risks” of the Eurozone,\u00a0 failing to look at the “opportunities” the biggest common market can\u00a0 offer.<\/p>\n
I am not saying that risks have disappeared altogether,\u00a0 but they are far more political than economic nowadays: the so-called\u00a0 “fundamentals” of the European and Italian economy are improving.<\/p>\n
We must hop back on the “train of confidence”! Confidence, and you know it well, is a key element for growth.<\/p>\n
I am here today with a twofold goal: I want to listen to and\u00a0 understand the needs of entrepreneurs, and I want to help you use the\u00a0 full potential of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs throughout the world.<\/p>\n
Economic diplomacy is a strategic priority of my mandate at the Farnesina. The\u00a0 demand for services from companies wanting to start an internationalisation process is\u00a0 growing. Foreign policy must be a tool to support them and sustain\u00a0 their economic growth.<\/p>\n
Today, the Farnesina does a lot\u00a0 more for companies than people imagine but, as not all entrepreneurs are fully aware of what diplomacy can do for them, I have decided to come\u00a0 to them.<\/p>\n
So far I have visited Milan, Turin, Udine and Pescara, but my journey started at Confindustria, on 31 January,\u00a0 where we presented an independent study by Prometeia on the impact of\u00a0 economic diplomacy.<\/p>\n
It is estimated that tenders and contracts\u00a0 awarded to Italian companies, which have received the support of the\u00a0 diplomatic and consular network, have produced more than 1% of GDP and\u00a0 234,000 jobs.<\/p>\n
The study also confirmed that the Ministry of\u00a0 Foreign Affairs and its network of over 200 Embassies and Consulates in\u00a0 126 countries assist small- and medium sized companies in particular: 61% of SMEs have signed a contract or won a tender thanks to our support.<\/p>\n
But we can and we must do more! Some see geopolitical scenarios and their unpredictability as threats: but we must also seize the\u00a0 opportunities they create!<\/p>\n
Enterprises have exceptional\u00a0 opportunities. In 2016, Italy recorded exports for 417 billion euros with a trade balance surplus of 52 billion euros.<\/p>\n
The Government is fully aware of the\u00a0 need to support our companies while on a course to internationalise.\u00a0 This is why an Extraordinary Plan to Promote Italian products was\u00a0 approved and 380 million euros allocated for the three-year period\u00a0 2015-2017.<\/p>\n
How can the Farnesina and its diplomatic-consular network assist you on foreign markets?<\/p>\n
I would like to answer to this question by saying that our doors are ‘wide open’ to companies for all your dealings with\u00a0 foreign countries: to attract investments, make investments, penetrate\u00a0 markets and expand exports, win new markets, participate in tenders,\u00a0 deal with disputes and overcome legal and administrative obstacles.<\/p>\n
Economic diplomacy makes available to all companies an asset made up of\u00a0 information, contacts and relations. Market intelligence and\u00a0 institutional support are the cornerstones of\u00a0 our action. Because our Embassies and Consulates are privileged\u00a0 interlocutors of local institutions and of on-site political, economic\u00a0 and civil society representatives. And because our Embassies and\u00a0 Consulates have a ballpark view of Italian interests.<\/p>\n
This overarching vision of Italian interests in the world has motivated us to\u00a0 develop an integrated promotion strategy for “Brand Italy”, intended as\u00a0 the concept that merges the business sector with the promotion of\u00a0 Italian language and culture, science and innovation, in addition to the uniqueness of our regional territories.<\/p>\n
It is a brand that reflects beauty, creativity and technological\u00a0 know-how. We have translated that into the “Italian Way of Life”\u00a0 integrated programme promoted by every component of our network around\u00a0 the world.<\/p>\n
I will never grow tired of repeating across the world that, in addition to being the second biggest manufacturing country in\u00a0 Europe, we are also a superpower of lifestyle, culture and beauty.\u00a0 The Veneto Region is a superb example of it. And\u00a0 we must capitalise on this primacy to relaunch our economy.<\/p>\n
But\u00a0 the most important message that I would like to leave with you today is\u00a0 that the Embassies and Consulates are your “home” abroad.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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