Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Italian Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso, today (Friday, 10 March 2023), at the latter’s ministry in Rome, met with a forum of senior managers from prominent Italian companies, including dozens of company heads.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “Their (companies at the meeting) turnover is about 300 billion euros, and I am impressed by their commitment to cooperation with Israel, to innovation, sustainability and digitization.“
The Italian government is currently investing 200 billion Euro in upgrading infrastructure combined with digitization, sustainability and a cyclical economy. Thus, Israeli companies have a unique opportunity to be a source of technology and innovation in this process.
Concomitantly, Italian companies are interested the tenders that are anticipated in Israel in energy, security equipment and infrastructure. In the last two years, Israeli exports to Italy have doubled, and amounted to $1.5 billion at the end of 2022.
Significant presence at the event were security companies including the 12th largest company in the world, Leonardo, shipping firm Fincantieri, and Elettronica.
Other prominent companies that participated in the event were the state railway company, heavy vehicle company Iveco, space company Thales Alenia, food company Granorolo, Italian government investment bank CDP, aviation firm ITA, the Pizzarotti construction company, and municipal infrastructure companies Iren and Acea.
Prime Minister Netanyahu answered the company heads’ questions on water solutions in Israel in light of the drought that Italy has experienced in recent years, digital health and the Israeli experience in the field, and cyber and securing vital infrastructure and the potential for Italian-Israeli cooperation in this field, among others.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said that in the near future, and it is already possible to discern, everything will become technological and, therefore, the future will belong to those who innovate.
As an example, the Prime Minister mentioned Japan, which a few years ago, as a result of his visit there and the arrival of the Japanese Prime Minister in Israel along with many important businesspeople, has seen a jump in bilateral trade worth billions of dollars.
The Prime Minister said that in his view, there is great potential for commercial and economic cooperation with Italy as well, which constitutes a major opportunity.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said that in his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, he will propose holding a G2G meeting and a large meeting of businesspeople from both countries. He added that such a meeting has major potential for cooperation and is an opportunity for the economic growth of both countries.
Based on press release by the PMO, selected as relevant, shortend and regrouped by VonNaftali