The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized a business delegation to Italy on invitation from Ambassador Anil Wadhwa, Embassy of India in Rome; from 14th July to 19th July 2016

The delegation visited Milan and Rome in Italy and also San Marino, which is an independent sovereign republic sharing all its boundaries with Italy. As informed by the Embassy of India in Rome, it was a first-of-its-kind delegation from a region in India to Italy.

14th July 2016
The delegation was invited to participate in the Seminar on ‘Indian Opportunities for Italian Companies’ in Melia Hotel, Milan on 14th July 2016, organized by ANIMA (Federation of the Italian Associations of Mechanical and Engineering Industries). The programme was graced by Ambassador Anil Wadhwa and Mr. Carlo Banfi, Vice President, ANIMA (Italy). The other speakers included:
• Mr. Subhodip Ghosh, Director General Designate, The Bengal Chamber who addressed ‘Opportunities of Italian Companies in West Bengal’
• Mr. Vivek Abraham, Assistant Vice President, Invest India who addressed ‘The New India Story’ and ‘Opportunities for Italian companies in various sectors (food technology, water, energy including oil and gas, green technologies, infrastructure, automotive and others)’
• Mr. Vincenzo Abbate, International Relations, SACE and Mr. Marco Rosati, Italy Desk Responsible, Simest. They spoke on ‘Support to export and investment abroad for Italian companies’
• Mr. Carlo Banfi also addressed ‘Italian Excellence in Manufacturing - presenting the technologies and sectors in focus’.
The programme was followed by B2B Meetings which were joined by the members of the delegation from West Bengal. There was also a display kiosk of Indian textiles and fashion products by the two members of the delegation who were fashion designers.

15th July 2016
The delegation visited San Marino. The Bengal Chamber took the first initiative of taking a business delegation from India to San Marino.

San Marino is perhaps the world’s oldest surviving republic. It is an enclave in Italy, on the border between the region of Emilia Romagna and Marche and about 10 km (6.21 mi) from the Adriatic coast at Rimini. It is part of the Apennine mountain range. It has a population of 32000 with GDP being $ 1.365 billion (PPP 2012 est.) and GDP per capita at around $55,000. The main industries are tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine, paints, furniture and others. It has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe with a State Budget surplus and no National Debt.

The delegation attended a meeting organized by San Marino Chamber of Commerce. The meeting was attended by Ms. Antonella Mularni, Minister of Economy and International Cooperation and Mr. Marco Arzilli, Minister of Industry, San Marino. Mr. Massino Ghiotti, General Manager, San Marino Chamber of Commerce was also present. Dr. Madan Mohan Sethi, First Secretary (Commercial), Embassy of India in Rome was present in San Marino with the Chamber’s delegation.

The Bengal Chamber extended an invitation to San Marino Chamber of Commerce to bring a business delegation to West Bengal. The delegation is expected within a year.

Ministries of San Marino present in the meeting and the Embassy of India both confirmed that India and San Marino share an excellent diplomatic relationship. Both the countries are keen to enhance the business relationship. The Meeting included presentation from The Bengal Chamber on ‘Opportunities in West Bengal’ and addresses by the abovementioned Ministries of San Marino and the Embassy of India in Rome. It was then followed by B2B Meetings.

The B2B Meetings revealed that there was a great interest of the business community in San Marino to explore West Bengal/India. The sectors of interest are architecture, furniture, healthcare, startup village, food processing and others.

The delegation travelled to Rome the following day on 15th July 2016. The next meeting was held in Rome on 18th July 2016.

18th July 2016
The Delegation attended the Trade and Business Meeting at Embassy of India in Rome. The programme opened with welcome remark by the Ambassador. Mr. Subhodip Ghosh presented the Opportunities in West Bengal to the business community in Rome present in the said Meeting. Mr. Maurizio Miranda, President, Indo-Italian Institute for Trade and Technology presented ‘30 years of Trade, Technology, Innovation, Investments and Culture – Now the new revolution’. Mr. Maurizio Accinni, Senior International Development Manager, Corporate Division, BNL BNP Paribas Group presented ‘BNL and BNP Paribas Group support to bilateral trade and investments’.

This was followed by B2B Interactions.

19th July 2016
The concluding day, 19th July 2016, was utilized for follow up and additional B2B Meetings.