Next Monday 178 companies will be present in Tirana (of which 35 as part of the second edition of the South Export Plan), 14 between industrial associations, category and public institutions, 3 banks, for a total of over 346 participants.
A multi-sector initiative promoted by the Ministries of Economic Development and Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and organized by the Ice Agency, Confindustria, Abi, Alliance of Cooperatives, Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces, Italian Business Network and Unioncamere. The delegation, led by the Undersecretary for Economic Development, Ivan Scalfarotto, will see the participation, among others, of Alberto Cutillo, Italian ambassador to Albania, Michele Scannavini, president of the Ice Agency, Vincenzo Boccia, president of Confindustria, Guido Rosa, vice president Abi for internationalization, Mauro Del Savio, president of Finest, Alessandro Decio, CEO of Sace and Alessandra Ricci, CEO of Simest.
The objective of the mission is to increase the already solid economic cooperation between the two countries and to deepen the commercial and investment opportunities for Italian companies with particular attention to three focus sectors: Agro-industry, Energy and Infrastructure.
Albania represents a market with a strong and deep-rooted economic presence for Italy, both in terms of commercial exchange and investments; together with Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia which is the beneficiary of an articulated series of bilateral, European and international financial instruments from which interesting opportunities for our companies arise.
With an exchange of about 2 billion in the first 10 months of 2017, Italy is Albania's first commercial partner and also the first investor with a presence of over 2.662 companies, between 100% Italian and mixed capital, bearers of technological skills and productive.
Albania is a country with significant growth potential, which has undertaken, with positive results, an internal reform process inspired by European institutional, administrative and legal standards.
The performance of the Albanian economy was positively assessed, as was the economic reform program for the period 2017-2019, approved by the Council of Ministers in January 2017.
Geographical and cultural proximity, great diffusion of the Italian language, an important geo-strategic position, in the center of the Mediterranean and close to the EU and Balkan markets, are some of the competitive advantages of Albania.
And this, together with the availability of labor at extremely competitive costs, as well as favorable taxation for companies and a young population (about 45% under 30 years of age), the status of candidate country for accession to the Union European since June 2014 with the possible opening of negotiations by 2018, complete an already positive overall picture.
The key sectors for Italian investors in Albania are: energy, green tech and the environment, with a focus on water treatment, waste and renewables; agro-industry, where there are good opportunities for insertion for Italian suppliers of machinery and plants relating to the agri-food sector and in particular plants with a high technological content for the processing, transformation and conservation of animal and vegetable products; and finally the infrastructure sector, including tourism, which has experienced constant expansion and for which there are important local development plans.
The program on February 19th in Tirana includes: an institutional session, with the Italy - Albania Business Forum which will also be attended by the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, the seminar on local development programs and international funding available in Albania; Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and specific round tables on the mission's focus sectors.
B2B meetings will then follow between Italian companies and their Albanian, Kosovar and Macedonian counterparts. On February 20, some visits to companies or sites deemed useful according to the characteristics and objectives of the participating Italian companies will conclude the initiative.