Italy's Ambassador to Bulgaria Gian Battista Campagnola was born in Rome. He graduated Political Sciences at the University of Rome. His diplomatic career has begun in 1982 at the State Protocol Office. Ambassador Campagnola has covered various diplomatic positions in Tokyo, Brussels, Miami, San Josй (Costa Rica), Belize. He has also been Head of Secretariat and co-ordinator of the economic activity of the Direction General of the Economic Affairs of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked as advisor for foreign affairs of the Minister of Foreign Trade and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Crafts. Ambassador Campagnola has also visited lecture at the "Brookings Institute" of Washington on Transatlantic questions, and guest speaker at the University of Miami and the Florida International University on Italian-USA relations. Before being nominated for Italy's Ambassador to Bulgaria, Gian Battista Campagnola was Head of the Department for Relations with the Parliament of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador Campagnola answered questions of Novinite.com Editor-in-Chief Milena Hristova
Q: How was the idea for an Italian festival in Bulgaria born?
A: The Italian Festival has been conceived as a major manifestation whose main objectives are to promote world-widely the Italian art, style, design and way of life and to strengthen and deepen its cultural, economic and political relations with Italy's traditional partners. The Festival is organised every year in different parts of the world and represents a very successful product of the synergy of the Italian institutions locally represented, the Italian business community and the authorities of the hosting country. This year for the first time, the Italian Festival will be proposed also to the Bulgarian public. I am extremely happy that this occasion happens in such an important year from bilateral point of view. We are celebrating 125 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries in a moment in which they are closer than ever in all the fields - political, economic, cultural and social. The Italian Festival is also naturally connected to the Anniversary of the Day of the Italian Republic which is celebrated on 2 June.
Q: Which are the major festival events that you expect to bring many facets of the population together in the project?
A: The Italian Festival will offer to the Bulgarian public various sights and tastes of Italy and its lifestyle. The events of the programme are going to bring our Bulgarian friends closer to various aspects of the Italian culture thanks to their combined nature. Thus, the public will be deeply involved in cuisine, cinematographic, musical, fashion and business initiatives, which will last about twenty days. The characteristics of the Festival permit to combine the cultural celebrations with the opportunity also to improve the excellent political and economic relations. In such regard, the initiatives will take place not only in Sofia but also in Plovdiv. The latter has recently become a center of attraction for the Italian presence in your country with its potentiality to favor the link between the cooperative local environment and the possibility for the Italian companies to invest there. Their interest in this area is well demonstrated and will be further stimulated by the first Honorable Consulate of Italy in Bulgaria which will become reality in coincidence with the days of the Italian Festival there.
Q: Do you think Bulgarians are well acquainted with Italy's cultural treasure? What do Italians associate Bulgarian culture with?
A: Italy and Bulgaria share common cultural and historic traditions. This aspect facilitates very much the cultural exchange between countries which is reaching unprecedented levels after the past experience of political division and mainly in the rich and fruitful frame of our intensive and friendly relations. Italy is proud to find here a sincere interest for its culture and a very friendly atmosphere. This contributes impressively also to the establishing of a spirit of trust and partnership between our two nations. Our goal is in this regard to increase the flow of information between them concentrating our attention and forces on initiatives such as the Italian Festival which are bringing us closer.
Q: Could you tell us more about the Embassy's activities to foster academic and cultural exchange between Italy and Bulgaria?
A: As a country with enormous cultural and artistic background, Italy has always been particularly interested at sharing it with the other countries, especially with privileged partners like Bulgaria. The Italian Embassy in Sofia, along with the other Italian institutions represented here and the Bulgarian Authorities, is involved in ambitious and rich cultural programme in order to show the best of its treasures which find very enthusiastic response from your public. Who knows better Bulgaria and its history knows that it also can offer pieces of extraordinary preciousness. On this basis the cultural exchange is an extremely important matter in which have to be concentrated our energy. I personally retain that in this context more intensity we have to dedicate to the relation with the young people who are the natural bridge between the two cultures.
Q: Italy is already among the major investors in Bulgaria. What will be the key objective of Project "Bulgaria 2004", implemented by the Emilia Romagna Region and the Regional Industrial Association? What concrete results do you expect from the business events in the framework of the festival?
A: Italy plays a privileged role in Bulgaria and considers your country a privileged partner from economic and commercial point of view. This situation, which is particularly favorable for our investors, helps them to consolidate such a leading position and to improve their cooperation with their Bulgarian counterparts. And the results are before us: now Italy is the biggest exporter from your country and one of the biggest investors here. In this regard it is important to say that not only our entrepreneurs but also the institutions and, above all, the local authorities, are interested at developing the potentialities offered by our intensive partnerships.
The Italian regional authorities are seriously involved in this process and are doing their fundamental part in it by promoting various bilateral business activities in direct contact with Bulgarian institutions, branch organizations and private companies. Emilia Romagna is actually one of the main actors and the Project "Bulgaria 2004" is a clear sign that its intentions is to continue with the same pattern of intensive participation and initiatives. The main goal is in this regard to stimulate the contacts between the different level of corporative representation, demonstrating the potentialities of Bulgaria in terms of cost convenience, high qualification of the labor force and, above all, optimism and determination which are necessary guarantees for the future. Finding advantages here, the Italian investors are not only increasing the quantity of their investments but also their quality. Therefore we can see many significant examples of stable and long-lasting presence in this reality which offers opportunities and is open to new challenges. In this field, I would like to stress that due to the process of European Integration and to the increasing level of international competition the regional dimension of economic cooperation is becoming more and more important. It offers unique opportunities in terms of delocalisation of productive activities and represents an important incentive especially for the Italian small and medium-sized enterprises.
Q: Which are the main obstacles for business cooperation and partnership between Bulgaria and Italy? In which sectors should it be boosted?
A: As I have previously had the possibility to mention, the extremely positive trend in our bilateral relations is a result of the particular sense of community and friendship between Italy and Bulgaria, both linked by their European and Mediterranean dimension. This climate facilitates the rapid removal of the obstacles for the business cooperation and partnership. They will be soon definitely extinguished in the context of the Bulgarian accession to the EU in January 2007, for which your country has always received full support from the Italian government, business circles and public opinion. Therefore, in view of the European enlargement and of our special partnership, there are all the necessary conditions for an opportune and fruitful cooperation especially in sectors like transport networks, energy and tourism.
Q: As the high season is approaching, how do you assess Bulgaria's tourism potential in comparison with its neighbouring countries? Can we expect an increase in the number of Italian tourists in Bulgaria?
A: In the first year of my mandate I managed to discover the genuine beauty of Bulgarian nature and the unique hospitality of its people. These are extremely important elements which assures to Bulgaria a potential advantage on other destination in South Eastern Europe. Thanks to these two elements and to all the aspects of our privileged relationship mentioned above, the number of Italian tourists is growing fast and will certainly continue to do so. An indicator for that is the increasing number of flights connecting Rome and Milan with Sofia.
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Photo by Gergana Kostadinova (novinite.com)
