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Aug 28, 2014
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Italy: an ambitious plan to promote Made in Italy

Published
Aug 28, 2014

"On August 29, we will launch the largest plan ever adopted in this country to promote Made in Italy. It includes clear and measurable objectives: 50 billion euros in exports by 2016, 20,000 additional exporting companies, 20 billion more in foreign direct investment per year in Italy."

This is how Carlo Calenda, the Italian Deputy Minister of Economic Development, described in August the measures that Matteo Renzi’s government intends to adopt in order to accelerate the internationalization of Italian businesses and to attract greater investment in Italy.

Carlo Calenda, the Italian Deputy Minister of Economic Development


The extraordinary plan, dubbed "Unblock export" (Sblocca Export) is part of a larger plan dubbed "Sblocca Italia" to be adopted by the council of ministers on Friday, August 29 through a government decree.

The plan calls for a package of measures and the extraordinary sum of 130 million euros to be added to the funds that have already been disbursed. “For the first time in our history, this will put us on an equal footing with other European countries," explained Calenda at the beginning of summer.

In a recent interview with the business daily Il Sole 24 Ore, Calenda explained his thinking, “Growth can only occur through companies, which must be must allowed more competitive conditions in order to meet international demand for Italian products, which does not need to be created since it already exists.”

"Italy has a tremendous potential for growth that has not yet been realized. In order for our businesses not to miss the boat, we need to implement reform," the deputy minister further stated.

The measures that the Italian government is preparing to adopt are especially aimed at helping SMEs, which manufacture excellent products according to the Italian leaders, but which fail to send them abroad.

Among the measures, 10,000 euros will be allocated to SMEs who wish to employ "temporary" managers specialized in internationalization. Almost 25 million euros will be allocated to cover the needs of 2,500 companies. There is also a desire to invest more in order to connect these businesses with major retailers.

Other initiatives include an e-commerce platform for SMEs as well as promotional activities designed to attract more media attention and buyers to certain events, as was done last June in Florence at Pitti Uomo. Following the model employed at “Pitti", the government will invest in 15 major events put on by the Milan International Exhibition next year from May to October 2015, with resources focused on one international event (trade show or otherwise) per sector.

ICE, the agency designed to promote the internationalization of Italian companies, will be charged with the latter, and will adopt reforms in order to take on a more flexible structure.

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