E - Finmeccanica

H I G H L I G H T S
9/2010 FINMECCANICA MAGAZINE
COMPETING
BY WORKING
TOGETHER
THERE IS WELL-ESTABLISHED AND SUSTAINABLE COLLABORATION BETWEEN
ITALY AND THE UK IN THE AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE FIELDS AND, ACCORD-
ING TO FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER FRANCO FRATTINI, THIS ENABLES BOTH
COUNTRIES TO MAKE NOTEWORTHY ADVANCES IN STATE-OF-THE-ART
TECHNOLOGY, WITH SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS ALSO FOR SECURITY
That Finmeccanica plays a
leading role in this Anglo-
Italian defence partnership
is the clearest message on industrial
policy from the Farnborough
International Airshow to have
reached Rome. The person who
raised it was the Italian Minister
for Foreign Affairs, Franco Frattini,
who is transforming his Ministry’s
home at the Palazzo della
Farnesina into a springboard for
economic development in order
to relaunch the ‘Italian system’
into the world, in more than just
the political and cultural spheres.
“We are very much in agreement
with the UK in all areas of international
policy and are collaborating
closely with them on the
ground, from Afghanistan to
Iraq, as also on more burning issues,
such as Iran, Somalia and
Left: Italian Minister Franco Frattini
at Farnborough Airshow 2010
Yemen,” said Mr Frattini on his return
from a bilateral meeting
with members of the new government
in London, to which he
had been accompanied by his defence
counterpart, Ignazio La
Russa, and which had been held
at the same time as the Air Show.
The key issue at this bilateral
meeting was to analyse the potential
for collaboration between
Italy and the UK in the defence
field, which, given the close ties
between them, might well include
advanced technology and
aerospace. All the participants
thought there was sufficient potential
to justify embarking on
the project. Mr Frattini, well
aware for some time that the
sector was one in which Italy excelled,
acted accordingly. More recently,
the Foreign Ministry,
through its General Directorate
for Multilateral Economic and Financial
Cooperation (Direzione
Generale per la Cooperazione Economica
e Finanziaria Multilaterale),
has joined with AIAD (the
Italian aerospace, defence and
security industry federation) in
initiating a joint information
project in order, through diplomatic
and government channels,
to encourage more effective support
for the sector’s internationalisation
process, enabling companies
within it to be given early
information about the deadlines
for the government’s international
projects in order to be able
to assess opportunities for meeting
and raising issues of mutual
interest. However, the Minister is
particularly keen on London. As
Mr Frattini put it, “We are sure
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