Federal Minister Sigmar Gabriel and his counterpart Carlo Calenda are hosting the German-Italian Business Conference today. The conference is entitled "Utilising the potential of digitisation for companies - investing in our future". Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and Italy's Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni are attending the conference, as are more than 220 high-ranking representatives from business and public institutions.

Federal Minister Gabriel said: "In terms of output, Germany and Italy are the two largest industrial nations in Europe. We want this to remain the case in the digital age. This is why today's conference focuses on two issues: the successful digitisation of our industries, and investment in growth and innovation. In this context, the Plattform Industrie 4.0 plays a key role. It is our central network for digitisation in manufacturing and is supporting our companies as they undergo digital transformation. In addition, we must make more use of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) and the European Structural Funds to strengthen investment."

Germany and Italy intend to work closer together especially in the fields of standardisation, support for SMEs and vocational training. For this purpose, common principles have been agreed upon.

The German-Italian Business Conference was proposed by Federal Minister Sigmar Gabriel and confirmed by Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.