PM Anwar To Meet Captains Of Industry From 36 Italian Companies, Including MNCs In Rome
KUALA LUMPUR, June 30 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is set to meet captains of industry from 36 Italian firms, including multinational companies such as Leonardo SpA, STMicroelectronics and Ferrero during his maiden working visit to Rome, Italy on July 1.
The meeting will take place during the Malaysia-Italy Economic Partnership Roundtable on July 2, Malaysian Ambassador to Italy, Datuk Zahid Rastam said today.
'In addition to the 36 Italian companies and several industry associations here, Malaysian companies accompanying the Prime Minister will also be in attendance,' he said in a virtual briefing here today ahead of the three-day working visit.
Leonardo specialises in aerospace, defence and security, STMicroelectronics is a semiconductor company, while Ferrero is one of the world's largest sweet-packaged food companies.
All three MNCs have a significant presence in Malaysia.
'Additionally, there will be Italian companies looking to further engage, invest, and explore opportunities for collaboration with Malaysia,' Zahid Rastam said.
Italy is the third-largest national economy in the European Union (EU) and the world's eighth-largest by gross domestic product (GDP). Its economy accounts for about 12 per cent of the EU's GDP.
Besides the business meeting, Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, is also set to discuss bilateral cooperation on trade, investment, defence, agro-commodity and digital economy with his counterpart Giorgia Meloni.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Borneo Post
35 minutes ago
- Borneo Post
Sarawak-made gluten-free sago cookies featured at Fine Food NZ 2025
Hafidz (standing, back row second right) joins the participants in a photo, taken during the exhibition in Auckland. Also seen are (standing, second row sixth right) Salbiah, Mazita, and Abdul Rashid. MIRI (July 3): Malaysia continues to make strides in exploring international markets as eight local companies participated in Fine Food New Zealand 2025, the largest biennial food trade exhibition in the Oceania region, held in Auckland from June 29 to July 1. Among the participants was IANA Corporation Sdn Bhd, the sole representative from Sarawak, which showcased gluten-free cookies made from sago flour ― a product jointly formulated with CRAUN Research Sdn Bhd. Sharing his experience, IANA Corporation Sdn Bhd managing director Mohd Hafidz Rohani said Malaysia's involvement in the event opened up new opportunities for collaboration with local importers and distributors, particularly in the health-based and food innovation segments. Hafidz, who also serves as chairman of the Sarawak Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Chamber (DUBS) Miri, said the Malaysian exhibitors represented a wide spectrum of the food industry, including durian and pineapple products, ready-to-eat sambal, canned beverages, health items, fisheries products, and gluten-free foods. All participants were part of the Malaysian delegation under Pavilion Malaysia, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) in collaboration with the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA). Oceania, with a population exceeding 50 million people and a growing ASEAN community, presents strong potential for Malaysian companies to establish a foothold in the regional market. This sentiment was echoed by Malaysia's High Commissioner to New Zealand, Mazita Marzuki, during the opening of Pavilion Malaysia at the exhibition. The Malaysia–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (MNZFTA), in force since 2010, has further facilitated the entry of Malaysian products into the New Zealand market. Hafidz said that the participation reflected the continued commitment of government agencies and industry players to expand the global reach of Malaysian products through high-impact trade platforms. The launch event was also attended by FAMA director-general Abdul Rashid Bahri and Perak State Executive Councillor for Women's Development, Family, Community Welfare, Entrepreneurs, and Cooperatives, Datuk Salbiah Mohamed. craun research Fine Food New Zealand 2025 gluten-free sago cookies
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Explainer-Do international carbon credits fight climate change?
FILE PHOTO: A coal-fired power station scheduled to shut down is seen in As Pontes, Spain, February 8, 2022. Picture taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal/File Photo BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Commission has proposed an EU climate target for 2040 that allows countries to count carbon credits bought from developing nations towards the EU goal for the first time. Here's what that means, and why the EU move on Wednesday faced criticism from campaigners and some scientists. WHAT ARE CARBON CREDITS? Carbon credits, or offsets, involve funding projects that reduce CO2 emissions abroad in place of cuts to your own greenhouse gas emissions. Examples include forest restoration in Brazil, or converting a city's petrol buses to electric. The buyer counts "credits" for those emission reductions towards its climate goal, and the seller gets finance for their green project. Proponents say the system generates much-needed funding for CO2-cutting efforts in developing nations and lets countries work together to cut emissions around the world. However, the reputation of CO2 credits has been dented by a string of scandals in which credit-generating projects failed to deliver the climate benefits they claimed. WHY IS THE EU BUYING THEM? The European Commission proposed allowing up to 3 percentage points of the EU's 2040 target - to cut net emissions by 90% from 1990 levels - to be covered by carbon credits bought from other countries. The EU's existing climate targets require countries to meet the goals entirely by cutting emissions at home. The bloc's executive Commission said last year it hoped the EU could agree a 90% emissions-cutting target for 2040, with no mention of carbon credits. Tumultuous geopolitics and the economic woes of European industries have since stoked political pushback, with governments from Germany to Poland demanding a softer target. In response, the Commission said it would add flexibilities, and landed on carbon credits as a way to retain a 90% emissions-cutting goal while reducing the domestic steps needed to reach it. EU countries and the European Parliament must negotiate and approve the goal. WHAT ARE THE RISKS? The EU plan was welcomed by countries including Germany, which had pushed to include carbon credits in the goal, and by carbon credit project developers as a boost for climate finance. But environmental campaigners said the EU was shirking domestic CO2-cutting efforts and warned against relying on cheap, low-value credits. The EU's climate science advisers had also opposed buying credits under the 2040 target, which they said would divert money from investments in local clean industries. The EU banned international credits from its own carbon market after a flood of cheap credits with weak environmental benefits contributed to a carbon price crash. To try to address the risks, the Commission said it would buy credits in line with a global market and rules for trading carbon credits which the U.N. is developing. These include quality standards aimed at avoiding the problems that unregulated credit trading has faced in recent years. Brussels will also propose rules next year on specific quality standards for the carbon credits the EU buys. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? The EU doesn't yet know. Carbon credit prices today can be as low as a few dollars per tonne of CO2, up to more than $100, depending on the project. EU emissions records suggest the bloc would need to buy at least 140 million tonnes of CO2 emissions to cover 3% of the 2040 target, roughly equivalent to the Netherlands' total emissions last year. One senior Commission official said the bloc was determined not to hoover up cheap junk credits. "I don't think that would have any additional value. The credits we see currently on voluntary carbon markets are very, very cheap, and that probably reflects a lack of high environmental integrity," the senior official said. (Reporting by Kate Abnett; additional reporting by Virginia Furness; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Anwar holds talks with Italian PM Meloni to boost bilateral ties
ROME: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was accorded a guard of honour upon his arrival at Chigi Palace, the official residence of his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, on Thursday. Anwar, who arrived here on Tuesday for a three-day working visit to Italy, was received by Meloni before the national anthems of both countries were played. Meloni then introduced her delegation, which included Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, before Anwar introduced his. During a meeting, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations through more comprehensive cooperation. They also discussed a wide range of issues, including collaboration in the economic sector, particularly trade and investment, as well as cooperation in defence, renewable energy, environmental sustainability, agro-commodities and the digital economy. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international developments, including the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel and the resulting humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. Anwar was accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, as well as Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz. Also present was Malaysian Ambassador to Italy, Datuk Zahid Rastam. In 2024, total trade between Malaysia and Italy increased by two per cent to RM14.61 billion (US$3.18 billion), compared to 2023. From January to May 2025, bilateral trade rose 3.3 per cent year-on-year to RM6.5 billion (US$1.48 billion). Italy remained Malaysia's fifth-largest trading partner and the third-largest importer of Malaysian palm oil among European Union member states last year. Anwar is scheduled to depart for Paris next, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron during his two-day visit. Following that, the Prime Minister will head to Rio de Janeiro to attend the 17th BRICS Leaders' Summit at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
