“India is An Important Country for Stability in the Indo-Pacific Region. Stability is Crucial to Strengthen the Trade”

New Delhi April 11, 2025

The Italy-India Business, Science and Technology Forum was held at the The Imperial Hotel, New Delhi, bringing together high-level dignitaries, policymakers, and industry leaders from both nations. The event was graced by the presence of Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of University and Research, from the Government of Italy; along with S. Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs, and Piyush Goyal, Minister for Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

Jointly organized with the support of the business chambers of India, the forum aimed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in business, science, and technology. It featured insightful plenary sessions followed by B2B meetings between Italian and Indian companies to explore real opportunities for collaboration.

Key focus sectors included:

• Industry 4.0: advanced machinery, food processing, agro-tech

• Infrastructure & Transport: smart cities, railways, engineering services, ports, and logistics

• Energy & Green Transition: biofuels, waste-to-energy, recycling, critical raw material processing

• Cutting-edge Technologies: aerospace, cyber security, new materials

• Innovation & Startups

Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of Italy mentioned that this forum is part of the strategic partnership plan signed by both the governments. “India is an important country for stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Stability is crucial to strengthen the trade,” he emphasized. The Deputy Prime Minister stated that "India is an economy with enormous potential, and we want to strengthen this cooperation". “Italy and India are natural economic partners. Together we want to strengthen our cooperation for a partnership that looks at the future through higher education, innovation and research". Minister added. 

S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Government of India said that the direction of India’s progress and capabilities of Italian industry make for a good combination. “Make In India, today offers a platform or pathway for that collaboration to unfold,” he added.

He further stated that India has been working with like-minded partners to build a resilient and trusted partnerships that we need now to address not only our economic but strategic priorities as well and for us, Italy ranks high in that list. Minister Jaishankar also added that there are natural complementarities in many sectors including energy, transport, food processing, light engineering which both nations need to exploit. “Italy has the technologies and best practices that could make such collaboration more fruitful,” he asserted. 

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Government of India said there is further scope for expansion in the bilateral trade between India and Italy if we work seamless with each other, encourage investments, promote businesses without roadblocks. 

Goyal further added that Indian economy is slated to grow from $4 trillion to $30-35 trillion by 2047, our goal of Viksit Bharat makes India a compelled case to deepen the engagement between the European Union and India, particularly Italy and India. There are untapped newer areas like fashion, luxury goods, food processing, pharmaceuticals, tourism, green technology, advanced manufacturing, automobiles,” he emphasized. 

 Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of Universities and Research of Italy said that Italy and India share a commitment to research and innovation, as well as to sustainable development and socio-economic transformation. “Both nations are implementing ambitious reforms and investments to advance their respective systems,” she added.

Harsha Vardhan Agarwal, President, FICCI and Vice Chairman & MD, Emami Limited said that the world today has become highly uncertain and complex. “The recent geopolitical developments have underscored the global economy's growing vulnerabilities and further fragmentation. The need to strengthen ties between like-minded economies like India and Italy has become extremely important today,” he added.

The forum marked a significant step in advancing the strategic partnership between India and Italy, with a strong emphasis on innovation-driven, sustainable, and future-ready collaborations.