Attracting foreign investments is an important development factor, and Italy has always been one of the preferred locations for multinationals. But for some years now the number of global groups that have chosen our country has been growing at a rate below potential. Why? Perhaps Italy has lost its attraction, or is the market too small? Is there a poor corporate culture, or are there other reasons? The Foreign Investors Committee of Confindustria, made up of companies operating in our country, wanted to investigate these issues, first by carrying out a survey on the attractiveness of the country system, and then by inviting the protagonists to reflect on the subject. The occasion will be «Attratti Italia», the first forum dedicated to foreign investors in Italy, which will be held on Thursday 28 February in Verona, in the GlaxoSmithKline auditorium. The survey that will be presented at the forum, carried out by Ipsos, represents a contribution to be brought to the attention of political forces and the next government. The attractiveness of the system, explains a note from Confindustria Verona, can make the difference not only for Italy but also for the Northeast and the local area. "The forum, of international appeal", continues the note, "has seen Confindustria Verona in the front row in the organization of an event that will involve both the top managers of companies operating in Italy and the leaders of the reference groups: it is therefore an important opportunity for Verona, which will be able to show its potential to a qualified audience". The president of Confindustria Verona, Gian Luca Rana, will open the Forum with a report on "Verona's commitment". We will then continue with speeches by Jean-Pierre Garnier, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline ("Being multinational: the experience outside Italy"), Giuseppe Recchi, president and CEO of General Electric Italy & South East Europe ("The role of foreign investments in Italy: the creation of value") and Vittorio Ogliengo, CEO of UniCredit Banca d'Impresa and head of the Corporate division of UniCredit Group ("Development, internationalization and finance"). The Ipsos survey "What do investors think" will be presented by the curator Nando Pagnoncelli, and Angelos Papadimitriou, president and CEO of GlaxoSmithKline Italy, will speak on "The role of foreign investments in Italy: the value of optimism". The debate "The role of foreign investment in Italy: let's develop this opportunity", introduced by Giorgio Barba Navaretti, professor of political economy at the University of Milan, will be attended by Sami Kahale, president and CEO of Procter & Gamble Italia, Dario Rinero, president and CEO of Coca Cola HBC Italia, Pietro Guindani, CEO of Vodafone Italia, and the Times correspondent for Italy Richard Owen. This will be followed by the report «Let's go back to growing and investing», by the director of the Confindustria Study Center, Luca Paolazzi who will introduce the conclusions of the president of Confindustria, Luca di Montezemolo. The Verona Arena of 02/21/2008 p. 36
