Strengthening bonds and building futures

Tell us how the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE came into being. How many years has it been in operation?

The activities of Italian Industry & Commerce in the UAE began in 1999.

In 2007, the IICUAE began the process of being recognized by the Italian government as an Italian Chamber of Commerce Abroad (ICCA), which ended on November 17, 2009, when it was granted the title and was able to officially call itself the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE and is part of Assocamerestero. In 2010, the Ministry approved my appointment as Secretary General.

On February 16, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE announced the new Abu Dhabi office in collaboration with the AbuDhabi Business Council.

Finally to be remembered the Presidents who have strongly contributed and are contributing to the development of the Chamber, starting with the founder Piero Ricotti, followed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Qassimi appointed Honorary President of the Chamber and the current Stefano Campagna. The Council will be discussed in the following pages.

What are the main competencies of the Chamber?

The IICUAE, with about 25 years of experience, is the ideal partner for any company wishing to undertake or continue an effective internationalization process.

The Chamber aims to carry out, mainly, activities in favour of trade with Italy and assistance to economic operators as well as to foster the development of economic relations and cooperation between Italian and Emirati entrepreneurs, in coordination with the Italian Institutional System.

The Chamber's added value is its member companies, which ensure fundamental integration with the UAE economy.

Establishing project goals is an important step in the planning process. What Chamber activity implementation plan do you foresee for 2024?

In addition to initiatives such as incoming and outgoing trade missions, Gulf International Congress, Aperitivo Italiano, Bleasure, certifications for Ospitalita' Italiana restaurants, Italian Flair, etc.), next year the Chamber will set up a Show Room in which it will host more than 200 SMEs; the opening will take place in June 2024.

As the real estate sector is in turmoil and continuously growing, the Chamber wanted to seize this opportunity to launch from 2024 the project " Constructions and Real Estate Market in the UAE 2024" aimed exclusively at Italian Architects, Engineering Firms and Real Estate Agents scheduled for April 25 - 26 and 27, 2024 in Dubai. Also worth mentioning is that the Chamber for years has established the figure of the Representative, i.e., an Italian professional (lawyer, accountant, or consultant) certified by the Chamber itself, who comes to train in Dubai and is constantly trained and updated about new regulations. By 2024, there will be 453 Representatives operating throughout Italy offering Italian businesses the opportunity to approach them with peace of mind, the list of which can be found on the Chamber's website.

Can we make a brief Chamber summary of the year 2023 that is coming to an end?

During the year there was continued implementation of Web-based Technical Seminars for businesses, Theme Evenings, Networking such as Italian Aperitifs and Bleausure which are particularly useful initiatives to establish business relationships.

The Chamber participated in the Stay Export Project, an Assocamerestero initiative for information, guidance, and assistance to SMEs in Italy in conjunction with the Italian chamber system, for a duration of 6 months. There were 22 UAE Presentation Seminars held in Italy in collaboration with business associations and Chambers of Commerce operating in Italy. Special attention is given to Italian restaurants thanks also to the Ospitalita' Italiana certification activity.

I must also mention the Italian Flair project, presented in the following pages, which involved about 500 Italian SMEs and will end in 2024. In contrast, in 2023 the Italian Yellow Directory in the Gulf project, which involved ccirca 700 SMEs, ended in July. Also worth mentioning is the project carried out with Choitram Supermarkets, which enabled 49 SMEs in the Agribusiness sector to sell their products and be present in 10 supermarkets in Dubai. As well as the presentation event of 20 Italian companies in Abu Dhabi realized in collaboration with LaizoInnova and Centaurus International.

— anam@khaleejtimes.com

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