The first “Italy-UAE SME Business Forum” has taken place in Milan in partnership with the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates in order to create an opportunity for dialogue and exchange between small and medium enterprise from the two countries in the run-up to Expo 2020 Dubai.
The Government of the United Arab Emirates has set up a programme which offers support and contributes to the economic and managerial development of SMEs; the aim is to further development in the non-oil-related sectors and to foster the diversification of business activities.
In the Emirates SMEs account for 94% of enterprise and employ 86% of private-sector operators whereas in Italy 99.9% of companies classify as SMEs for a total of 4,334,000 worth € 464 billion in exportation.