Italian firms meet potential Jordanian and Palestinian partners

Italian Business ties with the Middle East:

Renewable Energy, Water & Environmental technology italian firms meet potential Jordanian and Palestinian partners

seven companies from four southern Italian regions (Sicily, Calabria, Apulia and Campania), operating in the fields of renewable energy, water treatment, solid and liquid waste treatment/disposal, and geothermal energy, participated at two workshops and B2B meetings held in Ramallah and Amman during October 2014.

The visiting organisations hoped to develop partnerships and industrial cooperation, and find opportunities for possible knowledge and technology transfer with interested counterparts in Palestine and Jordan.

The initiative was organised by the Italian Trade Commission / Italian Trade Agency under the framework of the Southern Export Plan, a special and multi-year program aimed at encouraging the internationalisation of southern Italy’s SMEs and at promoting their products, services, technology and overall image globally.

The Italian Trade Commission – which also acts as the Trade Promotion Section of the Italian Embassy in Amman and in Baghdad, as well as of the Italian Consulate General in Jerusalem – is a Government body supported by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development with the mission of promoting ‘Made in Italy’ around the world and making Italian companies more internationally-minded.

The workshop in Ramallah, which took place at the Movenpick Hotel in the presence of the Italian General Consul, Davide La Cecilia, was arranged in cooperation with the Palestine Trade Center (Paltrade) – with whom the Italian Trade Agency signed an MOU in 2012 – and with the Palestinian Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Palestinian Federation of Renewable Energy Industries. The initiative also received the support of the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority, the Palestinian Energy Authority, and the Palestinian Water Authority.

The workshop in Amman, which took place at the Four Seasons Hotel, was organised by the Italian Trade Commission in partnership with EDAMA (Energy, Water and Environment Association). Italian Ambassador to Jordan, Patrizio Fondi, attended the event which was supported by the Jordanian Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Greater Amman Municipality, and NEPCO, the National Electric Power company.

As a result of the two events, and of pre-arranged ‘match-making’ between attendees, more than 130 B2B meetings were planned between the Italian companies and approximately 30 Palestinian and 25 Jordanian counterparts.

The Italian Trade Commissioner in Amman, Alessio Ponz de Leon Pisani, pointed out that the Italian companies working in the renewable energy, water and environment sectors are in a good position to build partnerships with Palestinian and Jordanian companies and to start joint projects to address pressing needs in these areas. It is of fundamental importance to involve the private sector to trigger a wave of partnerships in renewable energy and environmental-related fields to reach such a goal.

Therefore, there is huge potential for building partnerships and cooperation between Palestinian, Jordanian and Italian companies.

Palestine and Jordan already have the legislation, regulations and grounds for projects in these areas and Italian companies can contribute significantly.

Palestine’s and Jordan’s public sector needs the help of the private sector more than ever to develop these kinds of green technologies and projects, especially in the form of BOT or BTT. The market is also absolutely open in Palestine and Jordan as the two Countries welcome international companies to work within their territory. This represents a great opportunity both for the local as well as the foreign private sector. Palestine and Jordan-based joint partnerships could also extend their operations beyond the countries’s boundaries aiming at carrying out projects throughout the region. Palestine and Jordan are becoming more and more hubs for this.

Trade Commissioner Ponz de Leon Pisani also emphasized as the two Workshops represented not only a clear indication of the commitment of the Italian Government in enhancing the economic, commercial and technical cooperation between Italy, Palestine and Jordan in the fields of Renewable Energy, Water and Environment, but also, and above all, of the interest of the Italian companies to develop and foster their presence in this geographical Region and to look for opportunities of partnerships with Palestinian and Jordanian counterparts.