UAE widens partnerships with Italy, other European markets

Investopia organised the fourth edition of the ‘Investopia Europe — Milan Dialogues’ at Palazzo Mezzanotte, the historic headquarters of the Italian Stock Exchange in Milan, with the aim of strengthening economic and investment partnerships between the UAE, Italy, and wider European markets across key and high-growth sectors. Held in collaboration with EFG Consulting, the event explored emerging opportunities in sectors including the new economy, financial services, energy, luxury goods, real estate, logistics, and supply chains.

The event highlighted the latest investment trends across emerging sectors in European and African markets, while also showcasing global strategies to maximising energy efficiency and develop resilient and sustainable economic policies amid current economic and geopolitical shifts.

The event witnessed strong participation from nearly 700 officials, senior executives, ministers, decision-makers, business leaders, and investors from the UAE, Italy, as well as several European and African countries.

Prominent attendees included Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Co-Chair of Investopia’s Board of Trustees; Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy; Gianmarco Mazzi, Italian Minister of Tourism; Giancarlo Giorgetti, Italian Minister of Economy and Finance; Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Mohammad Abdulrahman Alhawi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Investment and President of Investopia; Badr Jafar, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Business and Philanthropy; Hamad Al Marar, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE Group; Ignazio La Russa, President of the Italian Senate; Matteo Perego di Cremnago, Undersecretary of State for Defence in the Italian Government; Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy; and Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region.

Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri emphasised that relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Italy are built on a strong strategic partnership that continues to grow across the economic, investment, and tourism sectors.

“This cooperation enjoys strong support from the leadership of both friendly nations, particularly following the announcement in February 2025 of UAE investments worth $40 billion in Italy across a range of vital sectors. This move further reinforces economic cooperation and opens broader opportunities for partnership across diverse fields,” Bin Touq noted.

Speaking during a session titled “Italy and the UAE: Aligning Industry, Investment and the New Economy,” he said: “The two countries share a common vision for advancing future-focused economic sectors, with bilateral cooperation centred on key strategic areas such as technology, artificial intelligence, energy, and digital transformation. These shared priorities support the aspirations of both nations to build a sustainable economy and support the objectives of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, which seeks to further strengthen the UAE’s position as a global hub for the new economy over the coming decade.”

Bin Touq added: “Building on these shared aspirations and the strong economic partnership between our two countries, we are leveraging this event to reinforce Investopia’s role as a leading dialogue platform in Europe for exploring high-potential economic and investment opportunities across emerging sectors in the UAE and European markets. The platform also aims to deepen engagement between Emirati and European business communities. This is further supported by the UAE’s advanced industrial and services ecosystem, world-class infrastructure, and progressive legislative environment across a wide range of vital and sustainable sectors, reinforcing its position as a preferred destination for global investors and business leaders.”

He further noted that the UAE considers the Italian business community as an important economic partner within Europe, highlighting the continued growth in bilateral economic cooperation. The total number of Italian companies operating in the UAE reached nearly 4,900 by the end of the first quarter of 2026, reflecting a growth rate of 37% compared to the end of the first quarter of 2025. In addition, the number of Italian trademarks registered in the UAE reached 12,485 by the end of March 2026, underscoring the strong momentum of economic and investment opportunities between the two countries.

Adolfo Urso, Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, said: “The European Commission should sign a free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates, which would be an important signal on the economic and productive level, but also and above all at this political stage, to tell the Emirates that we are here, we believe in you and we want to grow with you. The free trade agreement could pave the way for a broader free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council. The Gulf area and the Emirates are very important to us, as demonstrated by Italian exports in the region, while investments have now exceeded € 12 billion. I believe it is feasible to achieve the objective, already established during last year’s bilateral summit in Rome, of reaching 40 billion in investments in Italy in the near future. The United Arab Emirates can become excellent partners and today we are here for this”

WAM