The Egyptian-Italian Business Forum will take place in Italy during the first quarter of 2025, according to an official announcement. Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan El-Khatib, is expected to visit Italy to explore new opportunities for collaboration across multiple sectors. During a recent meeting with Italian Ambassador to Cairo, Michele Quaroni, El-Khatib discussed positive developments surrounding the launch of a RORO maritime transport line linking the ports of Damietta in Egypt and Trieste in Italy. The initiative is part of broader efforts to strengthen bilateral economic ties between the two nations. El-Khatib highlighted that the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade is promoting the RORO line through Egyptian commercial offices in Europe and the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), aiming to facilitate business exchanges. The meeting also focused on potential collaboration in digitizing customs procedures, leveraging Italy's advanced technologies in this field. Both parties discussed organizing joint training programs and the possibility of sending a delegation of Egyptian officials to Italy to learn from Italy's experience in customs efficiency. El-Khatib emphasized that Egypt is working on significant reforms to streamline customs processes, aiming to reduce clearance times to just two days in 2025. This initiative is expected to improve trade flows, enhance Egypt's standing in global trade indices, and support foreign business activity. Further discussions centered on expanding investment in Egypt's pharmaceutical, medical device, and supplies sectors, with a view to meeting local demand and boosting exports. Ambassador Quaroni reiterated Italy's commitment to enhancing economic relations with Egypt, noting growing interest from Italian companies in sectors such as vehicle manufacturing, recycling, and fuel production. The Ambassador confirmed that the upcoming visit of Minister El-Khatib will further strengthen ties and explore opportunities for joint investment projects. With trade between the two countries exceeding €6bn in 2023, Italy remains Egypt's largest trading partner within the European Union. Italian investments in Egypt amounted to $3bn, spread across 1,288 companies, according to official data.
