AUTONOMOUS REGION OF FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA - ITALY - Kick off meeting of GRIP_IT Hradec Kralove Region – Czech Republic 15. November 2005 International and European community Relation and Authorities Department European Community Policies Unit

Welcome to Friuli Venezia Giulia. Situated at the eastern border of the Italian peninsula, Friuli Venezia Giulia is a region which by its very nature is open to the world at large. A meeting point of Latin, Germanic and Slav cultures and a Region in which different language communities - Italian, Friulian, Slovene and German - have always lived, Friuli Venezia Giulia is achieving its development potential in a European dimension. A natural opening to the sea for many central European countries, the region is traversed by the major transport routes between the east and west of southern Europe. Friuli Venezia Giulia (7.840 sq km), with a population of inhabitants, is one of the most developed regions of northern Italy. AUTONOMOUS REGION OF FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA

THE TERRITORY

The economy of the region is based on small and medium size industries, on specialized agriculture, on an high-quality tourism industry and a strong tendency to export. ECONOMY AUTONOMOUS REGION OF FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA Many of the small and and medium size industries are concentrated in four industrial districts, areas which specialize in one particular type of product: chairs, furniture, knives and ham. Alongside these enterprises there are other big industrial groups and service industries whose products are well-known in Europe and the world: - Zanussi-Electrolux, household appliances - Fincantieri, the world leader in the construction of large cruise ships - Assicurazioni Generali, one of the leading insurance companies in Europe and the world.

An other important sector of the regional economy is tourism. In a small space, the Region contains very diverse environments, landscapes histories, art and culture. Friuli Venezia Giulia is home to two well-known seaside resorts (Lignano and Grado), numerous mountain resorts for winter sports, and cities of particular historical and archaeological interest like Trieste, Aquileia, Cividale del Friuli. In 2001 Friuli Venezia Giulia was visited by 9.5 million tourists, almost half of them coming from abroad, particularly from Germany, Austria and other countries of Northern and Eastern Europe. TOURISM AUTONOMOUS REGION OF FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA

SERVICES Friuli Venezia Giulia has a number of means to sustain the economic development of the region: - low-interest credit - Bic (Businnes Innovation Centre) to help start new companies - the Industrial Zone, Finest and Informest, companies designed to develop relations between local industries and Eastern European countries. Friuli Venezia Giulia aims to technological innovation and scientific research contributing to national and international economic and social development. The presence in Trieste of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics and the Area Science Park is the proof of this choice. AUTONOMOUS REGION OF FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is small in size but its geographical location has taken on renewed strategic value with the enlargement of the European Union to the east. More than 200 kilometres of motorway, 500 kilometers of railway tracks cross the region and link to the three most northerly ports of the Mediterranean: Trieste, Monfalcone and Porto Nogaro. Trieste, a free port for goods since 1719, is the Italian port with the greatest capacity of covered storage; transport intermodality for goods is guaranteed by the Cervignano Terminal, and lastly the airport of Ronchi dei Legionari (30 km from Trieste and 40 from Udine) is directly connected to the motorway network INFRASTRUCTURES AUTONOMOUS REGION OF FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA

EU PROGRAMMES INTO EFFECT AUTONOMOUS REGION OF FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA FESR-FReNeSyspromote economic and social cohesion by correcting the main regional imbalances and participating in the development and conversion of regions INTERREGdeveloping transnational partnerships INTERACTexperiences, best practices and know-how exchange between INTERREG areas LEADER+ promoting innovative strategies for sustainable developement OBJECTIVE 2 relaunch and support the economic and social conversion of areas experiencing structural difficulties OBJECTIVE 3 support for the education, training and employment policies and systems SFOPsustain to fishieries

Thank you for your attention. AUTONOMOUS REGION OF FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA International and European community Relation and Authorities Department European Community Policies Unit