Fiat once again investing in Italy – A billion euros to Melfi to make SUVs for export. Fiat announced new investments in Italy and the December 21 news was widely addressed in the foreign press, not only in the markets like the U.S. and Brazil where the Turinese manufacturer is also based (Washington Post – Italy’s Fiat announces $1.3 BN investment to produce SUVs in southern Italy; Wall Street Journal – Fiat Begins Rolling Out Turnaround Plan;Valor Economico – Fiat anuncia investimento de 1 bilhão de euros em plano de recuperação; Folha de S. Paulo – Fiat investe emmarcas de luxo para fugir da crise europeia), but also France and Spain (La Tribune – Fiat va investir massivement dans ses usines italiennes, qui exporteront vers les Etats-unis; Les Echos – Fiat va investir plus de 1 milliard d’euros dans une usine italienne; El Pais – Fiat anuncia la inversión de 1.000 millones para realizar dos autos en Italia).
Italian groups in emerging markets – The International papers also turned the spotlight on other Italian groups. Barilla has decided to invest in the Chinese market (Financial Times, 16 dicembre – Barilla looks to beef up China presence; Valor Economico, December 18 – Barilla vai mudar sua massa para caber na “wok” *) , while Saras signed a refining agreement with the Russian oil giant Roseneft (Moscow Times, December 18 – Rosneft Setting Up Joint Venture With Saras)..
Lifestyle, tourism and culture – There were also articles on fashion, culture and tourism. Mario Moretti Polegato discussed Italian lifestyles in an interview with the Spanish ABC (December 15 – Mario Moretti «Alguna vez me he sentido discriminado por el mundo de la moda») and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote about another Italian brand, Fay, and its anti-crisis strategies (December 21 – Einen Schnitt nach vorn machen). The Amercian news magazine Newsweek ran a piece on Italian wine production with an interview with the Antinori sisters (December 16 – Italy’s Antinori Sisters Prepare To Run A Wine Empire). Finally, the Argentinean La Nacion had a more classic theme: a visit to Rome in two days (December 16 – Roma no se visita en un día, pero en dos sí).
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