(L-R): Mauro Micillo, Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Division, Intesa San Paolo; Prince Guillaume; Princess Stephanie; Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finance;
Credit: MFIN
HRH the Hereditary Grand Duke, Prince Guillaume, accompanied by HRH the Hereditary Grand Duchess, and the Minister of Finance, Pierre Gramegna, traveled to Milan and Turin for a mission to promote Luxembourg's financial centre on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 November 2017.
On Monday a seminar organised by Luxembourg for Finance (LFF) was held in Milan for professionals from the Italian financial sector. The event, under the theme "Luxembourg, connecting you with financial expertise", attracted a crowd of nearly 300 participants. HRH the Hereditary Grand Duke emphasised the excellent economic relations between Italy and Luxembourg, in the industrial field, research and space.
Minister Gramegna presented the challenges and opportunities facing the European economy, as well as the prospects for the deepening of Economic and Monetary Union. He also highlighted the government's priorities for green finance, as illustrated at COP 23 in Bonn.
The Luxembourg delegation also visited the "Milan Fintech District" and met several start-ups who settled there. This visit explored avenues of collaboration with the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT) and joint initiatives to encourage the creation and development of start-ups in Europe.
In Milan, the President and Finance Minister also had meetings with senior financial institution leaders, including Intesa Sanpaolo. Indeed, this banking group has been present in Luxembourg since 1976. Discussions focused on the future architecture of the Economic and Monetary Union and the development of the group's activities from Luxembourg.
In Turin, Prince Guillaume and Minister Gramegna had an extensive exchange of views on the financial, economic and trade relations between Luxembourg and Italy with representatives of the Unione Industriale, the Chamber of Commerce Turin and business leaders.
The Luxembourg delegation paid a visit to the Ferrero production plants in Alba, in the presence of the family of the founder and senior executives of the company. This visit helped to take stock of the group's activities around the world and its location in Luxembourg. On this occasion, the group, which currently employs more than 1,000 people in Luxembourg, has emphasised its desire to further flourish in the Grand Duchy. The construction of a new 30,000 m2 headquarters in Luxembourg, as well as Ferrero's partnership with the University of Luxembourg, demonstrate this long-term commitment.
