The interview with Recep Ozkale, Vice Chairman at Turk Pirelli Inc., was carried out in July 2012 is an extract of the case study presented in the outlook “Italian business in Turkey” – which describes the operations, advantages, and obstacles encountered in working in Turkey. Pirelli sets foot in Turkey during the 60ies, creating a large tyre production facility in the city of Izmit. Today Turk Pirelli is the largest company in the tyres sector of Turkey, with an annual turnover of around 500 million euro and over 2000 employees. Throughout the years, the Group has invested more than 500 million euro for the industrial and commercial development of the Country, of which over 140 have been entirely invested for the creation of the productive facility of Izmit.

The interview with Francesco Voltolina, President of “Cristalstrass”, was carried out in November 2012 and is an extract of the case study presented in the outlook “Italian business in Morocco”. The interview touches on the company’s operating modes, and on the advantages and obstacles encountered in working in Morocco. Cristalstrass is a family business founded by the Voltolina brothers – owners of Group Voltolina – in 1983 in Settat (Morocco). It is currently one of the most important Italian companies in Morocco producing luxury furniture and lightning.

The Future of Mediterranean Finance

The sixth meeting of the Mediterranean Strategy Group (MSG) was held in Naples on March 1-2. The event was organized by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), Studi e Ricerche per il Mezzogiorno (SRM), and the Intesa San Paolo Group. The meeting debated the state of play and the future of Mediterranean finance in light of the recent transformations and the needs of the countries undergoing political and economic transition processes. The conference was attended by some fifty participants ranging from experts and officials from the United States (US), Europe, the Mediterranean region, and the Gulf.

Discussion revolved around four main themes: the State of Play of Cooperation between the North and the South of the Mediterranean and the Impact of the Economic Crisis; the Financial Sector in North Africa and the Middle East: Potential and Challenges; the Role of Sovereign Wealth Funds from GCC States and Other External Players; International Financial Cooperation. A final panel wrapped up the discussion, focusing on proposals on how to move forward with transatlantic cooperation on Mediterranean finance.

A summary of the main issues and arguments debated during the conference is now available for download in this section.

Click here to watch a video report of the meeting

The interview with Gianmatteo Giorgini,the young General Manager of SAIF Enerji Kaynaklari LP, was carried out in July 2012 is an extract of the case study presented in the outlook “Italian business in Turkey” – which describes the operations, advantages, and obstacles encountered in working in Turkey. Founded in Genoa in 1982, SAIF Inc. is one of the most important Italian companies in the field of marketing and distribution of solid fossil fuels. The company’s activity is split into three main sectors: trading, shipping and logistics.

The interview with Stefano Albini,owner of Cotonificio Albini S.p.A., was carried out in May 2014 is an extract of the case study presented in the outlook “Italian business in Egypt” – which describes the operations, advantages, and obstacles encountered in working in Egypt. Cotonificio Albini S.p.a. is an Italian company operating in the textile field and it is a market leader in the production of high range shirt fabrics. Founded in 1876 by Zaffiro Borgomanero in Albino, in the Bergamo province, the company has always focused on quality, innovation and product excellence. Today it owns sales offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong and production facilities in the Czech Republic and Egypt. The most important task of production relocation has been completed in Egypt, with the construction of two production factories, the Mediterranean Textile and the Delta Dyeing.

The interview with Vincenzo Gaspari, Director General of Filmar S.p.A., was carried out in May 2014 and is an extract of the case study presented in the outlook “Italian business in Egypt”. The interview touches on the company’s operating modes, and on the advantages and obstacles encountered in working in Egypt. Filmar S.p.A. is a textile Italian company specialized in manufacturing high quality cotton yarn for knitting and hosiery. Founded in 1958 by Luigi Marzoli and his wife Nilla Zanardi, the company owes its success to its focus on finishing. Nowadays Filmar sells its products worldwide and has outsourced part of the production in Egypt, where, since 2009, Filmar Nile Textile operates a plant in Borg El Arab, near Alexandria.