Business in Italy: 7 reasons to not relocate abroad

It comes a time when one thinks of trading outside their country of origin. Well, this decision of doing business across borders comes with its own package of benefits and limitations. This article addresses the main reasons why any business man should never think of leaving Italy and relocate his business premises elsewhere.

Basically, these reasons are founded on the belief that Italy is endowed by a climate that is one the most conducive for doing business.

1)      Italy is strategically positioned

Italy is found right in Europe and it can be best described as a country that lies in the heart of the famous Mediterranean Sea. As a matter of fact, Italy is the key thoroughfare that connects central, northern and southern Europe. This link is through air, sea and land. Through its positioning, Italy acts as a gateway that provides faster access to over 400 million customers from all over the European Union, and another additional lot of more than 200 consumers from as far as the Middle East and Northern Africa.

2)      A business environment that is more than friendly

According to statistics released in 2007, Italy emerged position 4 among the European countries in terms of GDP valued over 1.6 million euro. In terms of opportunities for business expansion, the Italian economy has the capacity to offer infinite doors of opportunities, most of which are based on innovative services. The market itself is known to have a potential consumer base that exceeds 60 million.

Of particular interest is the Italian legal framework that mainly directs how business is conducted. Major reforms have taken place since 2003 and key among these is the reduction of corporate tax rates to 27.5%. This is a major incentive to companies because they now have a greater potential to grow due to reduced cost of doing business.

3)      Availability of facilities and support offered by government agencies to foreign investors

Italy is actually one of the few nations where the government offers full support to foreign investors who intend to put up businesses in the country. This assistance is given in the form of business advisory, provision of information on the general state of the business environment and also on the available investment opportunities in certain and specific areas of the economy.

4)      Expansive and reliable infrastructural network

Take for instance the Italian roads, which cover the second widest network all over the European Union after France, approximately 670,000 km.

This network includes rail network of approximately 16,500 km and 7,000 km of motorways. Further still, Italy proud of a well-established system of interports, logistics platforms and international ports. Its maritime freight is also well established.

5)      A myriad of opportunities for expansion

These opportunities are well pronounced in strategic sectors such as tourism, logistics, life sciences, ICT and renewable energies.

6)      Availability of a large pool of highly qualified human resource personnel

According to impeccable information from the ministry of University and Research, an average of 300,000 fresh graduates enters into the market every year.

7)      High levels of technological advancements and well established know-how platforms

Research and innovation are the main drivers of the Italian market growth. This is directly attributable to the high-caliber technological parks, private and public institutions that are fully dedicated to research projects. Traditionally, Italy is known for excellence in several fields such as robotics, nanotechnology, ICT, medicine, instrumental engineering, biomedical technology, aerospace, microelectronics and new materials.