CONFINDUSTRIA OPENS REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN WASHINGTON DC

Italian Ambassador to the USA Mariangela Zappia and Confindustria President Carlo Bonomi inaugurate new offices
 
Washington, 22 June 2023 - As part of the 'Confindustria nel mondo' (Confindustria in the world) project, which aims to consolidate and strengthen the presence of Italian companies abroad, Confindustria inaugurated its representative office in Washington, to give further impetus to transatlantic relations and create a bridge between Italian companies and the American market.

"The decision to open a representative office in the United States is opportune and timely in this phase in which the need to invest in the relationship between allies and trusted partners and to consolidate value chains, starting with strategic sectors, emerges more than ever," commented the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, at the inauguration of the Confindustria office in Washington DC, in the presence of Confindustria President Carlo Bonomi, Vice President Barbara Beltrame Giacomello, the members of the Confindustria Presidential Council present in Washington, the Italian companies partners of the monographic exhibition dedicated to Leonardo Da Vinci 'Imagining the future. In the mind of an Italian genius' and the press. The Ambassador also emphasised that the opening of the venue comes at a time when the economic partnership between the United States and Italy is also particularly strong, as demonstrated by the data on bilateral trade and Italian investments in the US.

"The office of Confindustria will be able to ensure a constant connection with American counterparts at an institutional and associative level," noted the Ambassador, "and will be a point of reference for the more than 3,500 companies with Italian capital present throughout the United States. "In the land of opportunities that the USA represents, the office will be able to contribute to accelerating innovative processes in which Italian companies play a leading role, and will also be able to help them seize the opportunities arising from the connection with the important international financial institutions present here: World Bank, Monetary Fund and Inter-American Development Bank," he concluded.

"After the opening of the Confindustria offices in Kiev and Singapore, with the one in Washington, we are strengthening our representation and penetration capacity in the United States, the first non-European destination market for national exports and the nerve centre of the most important geo-economic choices," said the President of Confindustria, Carlo Bonomi, during the inauguration ceremony of the Association's representative office in the financial heart of the US capital. "Our choice comes at a decisive moment for transatlantic balances: in 2024, in fact, both in Europe and in the United States there will be general elections, two crucial appointments in which Italy will play a decisive role in connecting new leaderships. Confindustria intends to actively contribute to this process by establishing a constant dialogue with the American business community and political institutions. It is crucial for us to best promote the value of our companies and take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the US," added the leader of the Italian industrialists.

According to a recent study commissioned by the Italian Embassy, the Italian economic ecosystem in America employs over 260 thousand people, with a total annual turnover of over $140 billion. The United States has recently become the second largest global market for Italian exports, while trade exchange grew by over 23% in 2022, exceeding $117 billion. Last year, Italian exports of products and services to the US amounted to $80 billion. Investments in each direction also amounted to over $30 billion.

The opening of the Confindustria offices in the US capital took place in the context of a series of important events involving the Italian delegation, led by President Carlo Bonomi. First and foremost was the inauguration of the exhibition "Imagining the future. Leonardo da Vinci: the soul of Italian genius"set up at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and realised together with the partner companies (IntesaSanpaolo main partner; ITA Airways official carrier; 24ORE Cultura; Dolce&Gabbana; Dompè; Pirelli; Trenitalia), with the curatorship of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana and the patronage of the Italian Embassy in Washington and the Italian Cultural Institute. The Delegation then, again with the support of the Italian Embassy, had meetings with officials from the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Commerce, Select USA, US Chamber of Commerce, World Bank and the Government Agency for Small Industry.
 

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