Malta Enterprise has led a 15-strong business delegation to the city of Milan, which is one of the major hubs of economic activity in neighbouring Italy.
The Lombardy region is indeed one of the main motors of the Italian economy, on its own contributing more than one fifth of the entire country's GDP. The region is among those which are trying to lead Italy out of the economic crisis and consequently presents various opportunities.
Operating in sectors such as financial and advisory services, electronics, telecommunications, audiovisual services, education and training, as well as renewable energy, the Maltese companies had positive meetings with their Italian counterparts and expressed their satisfaction at the business prospects they registered.
The one-to-one meetings followed a well-attended business forum organised by Malta Enterprise, during which almost 70 Italian companies had the opportunity to familiarize themselves further with Malta's business environment.
Detailed presentations were delivered by Malta Enterprise's Regional Leader in Italy, who focused on the sectors that are flourishing in Malta and consequently present opportunities which Italian companies could avail themselves of, as well as by FinanceMalta's representative, who delved deeper into the attractiveness of Malta's thriving financial services industry.
During the business forum, which was also addressed by Malta's Ambassador to Italy Carmel Inguanez, the Italian companies could also discuss Malta's offering with other representatives from Malta Enterprise, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, the Italo-Maltese Chamber of Commerce, and the BOV Office in Milan.
On their part, representatives from Promos, which is responsible for attracting foreign direct investments to Milan and Lombardy; AICE, which promotes business relations, particularly trade, between Italy and the rest of the world; and other representatives from Milan's Chamber of Commerce provided information about opportunities for Maltese companies in the region.
While in Milan, the business delegation was also hosted by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Milan for a networking event, during which the Maltese companies had the opportunity to meet with a number of Japanese companies operating in Italy and which could consider Malta as a gateway to other nearby markets particularly in North Africa.