Italy and Czechia relations at CAMIC event

The Czech Republic and Italy could boast strong trade and investment ties with significant growth potential for both countries. This was the message of the event “The Czech Republic: A Strategic Partner for Italy,” which took place at the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament.

The event was initiated by Deputy Nazario Pagano, Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and Chair of the Bilateral Friendship Section with the Czech Republic. The conference was organized by the Italian-Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Rome and the Embassy of Italy in Prague, with the support of VÚB Bank, which is part of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group.

Speakers at the event included Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani and Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček. At the time, both governments were working on a bilateral action plan to further strengthen cooperation. Following a written greeting from Giorgio Mulè, Deputy Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the program included remarks by MP Nazario Pagan, Vojtěch Munzar, Chair of the Interparliamentary Friendship Group with Italy in the Parliament of the Czech Republic, H.E. Jan Kohout, Czech Ambassador to Rome, the Italian Ambassador to Prague, H.E. Alessandro Gaudiano, and the Chairman of the Italian-Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Danilo Manghi.

The conference presented key data on economic relations between the two countries. Italy was among the Czech Republic’s six most important economic partners, with trade volumes having increased in recent years, as noted by Petr Havlík of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Rome in his presentation on bilateral trade. Giovanni Foresti, Head of the Regional Research Department at Intesa Sanpaolo, presented the development of foreign direct investment between the two countries and Italian industrial clusters, while David Müller, Director General of the EU and Foreign Trade Section at the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade, presented the strategic sectors of the Czech economy.

This was followed by a presentation by Lanfranco Zucconi, President of S.A.B. Aerospace, which has established itself as a major player in the aerospace industry in the Czech Republic. Representatives of major Czech investors in Italy also spoke: Jan Hamáček, Director of External Relations at Czechoslovak Group (defense industry), Leonardo Ferrandino, President and Group CEO of Dr. Max Pharmacy Chain (pharmacies), David Koláček, Group Chief Legal Officer and member of the Board of Directors at KKCG/Allwyn (lotteries and gaming), Silvana Jirotková, Director of the SMR Development Department at ČEZ’s New Energy Division (energy), and Peter Černák, CEO of TTEP (energy).

“I was convinced that at this historic moment, when global industrial relations were undergoing a transformation, the connection between Italy and the Czech Republic could bring extraordinary mutual opportunities—unseen in the previous thirty years,” stated Danilo Manghi, President of the Italian-Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “That is why we continued to systematically support the development of all opportunities for the benefit not only of our members, but of the entire Italian-Czech system.”

“Our group has had roots in the Czech Republic for over a century and has operated here for more than thirty years,” said Paola Papanicolaou, Chief of the International Banks Division at Intesa Sanpaolo. “Relations between Italy and the Czech Republic have represented a stable and dynamic economic axis. Through VÚB Bank, we continued to strengthen our commitment and supported the growth of businesses and local regions as part of Intesa Sanpaolo’s international strategy, which aimed to support economies and businesses in various countries by leveraging our presence in local markets and an integrated European vision.”