Trump Puts Tariffs on Italian Products

by Italian CPA Miami Firm 

Recently the Trump Administration has implemented tariffs on goods being imported from the European Union. A tariff is a tax placed on internationally traded goods, and must be paid by the exporting country.

The Administration placed a 10% tariff on aircraft imported from the EU and 25% duty on agricultural and other products. 7.5 million dollars of tariffs were imposed on a variety of goods. To Italy, the US is the most important (non-European) trade partner with two-way trade totaling 77.875 billion dollars in 2018. The main goods exported from Italy are automobiles. Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, and Maserati are a few of the well-known car companies manufacturing cars in Italy.

The implementation of these tariffs is a result of the World Trade Organization, allowing the US to recuperate damages from the EU subsidies to the aircraft maker Airbus. Airbus is an European aircraft company based in Britain, Germany, and France. The Italian government finds it unfair that goods being exported from Italy are being subject to tax when they were not involved in the production of the Airbus. The World Trade Organization has recently found that Airbus and its rival Boeing have received billions of dollars in subsidies.

During the visit of the Italian President Sergio Mattarella to the White House last October, Mattarella asked President Donald Trump to ease up on the tariffs being placed on Italian exports. Trump responded by saying that maybe the US government was a bit harsh on the Italian government, and that was not their intent. The president said he valued the partnership the US has with Italy, and he will look into the tariffs being placed on Italian products. Will these tariffs cause the United States and Italy to lose their close relationship?

 

The IACCSE Closes 2019 With Very positive Results

2019 has undoubtedly been a very positive year for the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce.

First of all, the Chamber was able to reach the highest number of members in 28 years of its history – an all-time record of 300 corporate members. In addition, thanks to the efforts of our local coordinators and the support of the Consulate General of Italy, we have been able to open two successful Chapters in Atlanta and Tampa – cities which both offer a great potential for the promotion of Made in Italy products.

This past November, the second edition of “The Authentic Italian Table – Food & Wine Festival” took place, revealing itself as the biggest event ever organized by the IACCSE.


The Authentic Italian Table – Food & Wine Festival (November 20th, 2019)

Furthermore, we succeeded in organizing a complex roadshow in Italy (“Florida Roadshow”) for the very first time, whilst creating two new representative offices in Bologna and Rome. Ultimately, we cannot forget to mention the great results obtained during “The Best of Italian Design”, thanks to the prestigious partnership with the Miami Design District.

 Florida Roadshow

The Best of Italian Design

Due to these accomplishments this year, the Chamber has been able to  maintaining a positive economic trend that contributed to consolidate the internal organization and the geographical reach of our initiatives.

We would like to thank and recognize all the members that have showed us support, not only with their dues, but also with their friendly advises and by sharing valuable connections.

IACCSE PILLAR AWARDS 2019

On December 16th, the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce held its annual “Holiday Dinner Party” at Cipriani’s brand-new hotel – “Mr. C”, in Coconut Grove.

The event represented a great occasion for IACCSE Members to toast to this year’s accomplishments. During the dinner, the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce presented the Pillar Awards to the its long-standing Members in occasion of their 10, 15 and 20 year anniversary as a form of acknowledgement of their valuable patronage.

The long-standing Members celebrated were:

  • Trend USA – 10 Year Membership Anniversary
  • Beghelli North America – 15 Year Membership Anniversary
  • CCIIA di Genova – 15 Year Membership Anniversary
  • Robert Allen Law – 15 Year Membership Anniversary
  • Prime Line Distributors – 20 Year Membership Anniversary

Trend USA, Robert Allen Law and Prime Line Distributors – whose representatives were present at the Holiday Dinner – received an award as a recognition of their important contribution throughout these years.

 

Antonello Di Giovanni, Trend USA

Umberto Bonavita, Robert Allen Law

Vittorio Amadi, Prime Line Distributors

IACCSE Holiday Dinner Party at Mr. C Hotel

To register for the Dinner please send an email with your contact information to:

rsvp@iacc-miami.com

To register for the Dinner please send an email with your contact information to:

rsvp@iacc-miami.com

Confindustria’s Trade Development Mission In Atlanta

A high profile delegation from Confindustria (Italy’s main industry association) is visiting Atlanta on the 5th and 6th of December. Under the coordination of the Consulate General of Italy and the support of the IACCSE – Georgia Chapter, the delegation met with important economic players, including the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Tech.

There has also been a networking meeting between members of Confidustria led by Vice President of International Relations Licia Mattioli and the members of our Chapter. Consul General Cristiano Musillo, IACCSE Georgia Chapter Vice President Eugenio Fumo and IACCSE Executive Vice President Antonello Di Giovanni attended the meeting.


THE AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TABLE – FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL | NOVEMBER 20, 2019

 

The 2nd edition of “The Authentic Italian Table – Food & Wine Festival“, organized by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast (IACCSE), has been an incredible success. It is considered the Chamber’s biggest event.

Over 1,000 people attended this unique high-end Food & Wine Festival, which exclusively focused on the Italian cuisine and its flavors.

The event was held on November 20th in a spectacular and uncommon location: a cruise terminal at the Port of Miami.

The occurrence has taken place in the framework of “The Extraordinary Italian Taste” campaign presented by Assocamerestero (The Association of Italian Chambers in the World), the Ministry of Economic Development of Italy, and the IACCSE, to educate American consumers about true and genuine Italian products. This year the event took place during the “Week of the Italian Cuisine in the World” coordinated in the Southeast by the Consulate General of Italy.

60 exhibitors representing the whole spectrum of the industry, from beverage importers to restaurants, from hospitality suppliers to food distributors took part to the event.

During the first past of the event, dedicated to B2B meeting, exhibitors met with 200 industry professionals. Later on, almost 800 food-lovers attended the Grand Tasting, which was taking place simultaneously inside the terminal and outside, where a pizza village was created with mobile ovens by some of the best pizza restaurants in South Florida.

Guests had the opportunity to discover the genuine taste of Italy also through their involvement in 4 different guided Gourmet Experiences, with wine and food pairings. A special Gourmet Experience was offered by the Consulate General of Italy: Michelin-starred Chef Luigi Nastri and winner of Food Network’s “Chopped” Chef Giorgio Rapicavoli presented a masterclass on Italian desserts.

During the Grand Tasting, attendees also had the chance to experience extra multimedia contents thanks to The Authentic Italian Table app – the newest feature of this edition – developed by Marco Baldocchi Group. The app included not only Augmented Reality contents, but also a list of all Exhibitors’ and Partners’ contacts (interactively accessible through QR codes), a schedule of all the Gourmet Experiences and a map of the venue.

Two different contests took place during the event:

The Best Prosecco DOC of the Night 

A panel of experts formed by Food & Beverage directors of local hotels and restaurants voted for their favorite Prosecco wine. The winemaker Valdo won the contest.

The Best Authentic Italian Dish of the Night 

A panel of experts, formed by South Florida’s food writers and bloggers voted for the most authentic and delicious culinary creation of the event. The award went to chef Angelo Masarin of the Italian restaurant Salumeria 104, with locations in Midtown and in Coral Gables.

The two winners were awarded with gold pendants specifically created for the occasion by Stefano Andolfi Jewelry.

During the night, the IACCSE presented the 2020 renewal certificate of the Marchio Ospitalità ItalianaItalian Quality Seal to local restaurants serving genuine Italian cuisine in Florida. 13 restaurants received the renewal certificate that identifies and endorses those restaurants that truly promote authentic Italian culinary traditions and products abroad.

A special acknowledgment goes to the 5 Gold Exhibitors of this second edition of “The Authentic Italian Table”: Bevi Birra, Go Wine, Impero Wine Distributors, Shaw-Ross and Valdo.

Find here the photo gallery of the event.