Foreign investments in Italy and Lombardy: the current status

Within a complex international economic framework, Lombardy remains the main Italian gateway for attracting foreign investments.

With a resident population equal to 16.4% of the Italian total and a productive fabric that comprises 18.4% of all the businesses operating nationwide, the region's internationalization indicators have shown significantly high performance on a national level: Lombardy is respectively responsible for 27.7% and 30.9% of national exports and imports, while 30.8% of all foreign branches of Italian companies are subsidiaries of companies based in this region.

It is thanks to this international vocation that - based on the average rankings recorded from 2003 to 2013 - Lombardy has managed to maintain its place as one of the 10 most attractive regions in "Western Europe", while Milan is not far behind Europe's top 10 cities in terms of FDI inflows.

Lombardy hosts the registered offices of some 4,634 companies with foreign shareholdings, or rather 46.9% of all Italian companies involved in international groups, for a total of 400,000 employees and a total turnover of 223.7 billion Euros.

The province of Milan remains the region's most attractive centre for foreign investments. Its territory is home to 3,263 companies with international shareholdings, which employ 275,000 workers and provide for a total turnover of 173.6 billion Euros.

The province of Milan alone, in fact, represents approximately one third of all Italian companies with foreign shareholdings, employing 29.4% of all workers hired by these types of companies and providing for 34% of their turnover.

These and other issues will be discussed during the free seminar titled "What policies are needed to attract new investments to the region?", which will be held on 7 October within the framework of Milan's Invest in Lombardy Days. To find out more, click here

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