The Ambassador of Italy to Canada, Alessandro Cattaneo, participated today in the “Invest in Italy” conference, organized in Toronto at the Ontario Provincial Government’s headquarters by the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Consulate General.
The initiative offered the occasion to present the main investment opportunities and incentives for Canadians interested in investing in Italy. More than 120 representatives from Canadian businesses, organizations, and funds attended the event, showing Canada’s strong interest in the Italian market.
The event is part of renewed political efforts to intensify economic and trade relations between Italy and Canada, among which the inclusion of Canada in the recent Export Plan aimed at strengthening Italy’s presence in key foreign markets, following the recommendation of the Italian Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Cattaneo emphasized the strategic opportunity for Canadian economic operators to view Italy as a priority partner in Europe, especially during a time of market uncertainty. In the context of Canada’s growing efforts to diversify its trade partners, particularly focusing on Europe, Italy can represent a preferred destination for Canadian investments.
In addition to contributions from ITA and Invitalia, which explored the potential of key industrial sectors and services offered to foreign investors, Carmine Porello, the Representative of the Bank of Italy for North America, spoke about the performance of the Italian economy. Presentations from the Embassy of Canada in Rome, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Ontario further stressed the importance for Canada to prioritize Italy.
Finally, representatives from GEOTAB – a Canadian company specializing in fleet management products – and OMERS – one of Canada’s largest pension funds, which recently acquired Grandi Stazioni Retail with a €1.2 billion investment – shared their success stories in Italy.
