Italy brings more than 100 companies to São Paulo as Brazil becomes a priority export market

Italy has taken a delegation of more than 100 companies to São Paulo as part of a government-backed effort to expand exports, investment and industrial cooperation with Brazil, its largest commercial partner in South America.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is leading the visit, the second stage of a broader South American mission that began in Argentina. It is his third trip to Brazil since taking office and forms part of Italy’s Export Action Plan, which identifies the country as one of the main markets for future commercial expansion.

The delegation includes representatives from Confindustria, Italy’s principal employers’ federation, alongside executives from the Italian Trade Agency ICE, export credit insurer SACE, internationalisation specialist SIMEST and state-backed investment institution CDP.

The mission is intended to connect Italian businesses with Brazilian companies and institutions, identify new investment opportunities and strengthen an economic relationship that already extends across energy, automotive manufacturing, machinery, infrastructure, technology and financial services.

Brazil is the leading destination for Italian exports within Mercosur, accounting for 76.6% of Italy’s total sales to the bloc.

Bilateral trade reached €11.07 billion in 2025, an increase of 6.7% from the previous year. Italian exports amounted to €5.8 billion, generating a trade surplus of €512 million for Italy.

The first data following the entry into force of the EU–Mercosur agreement also point to stronger trade flows. Italian exports to Brazil increased by 22.3% during the agreement’s first month, while imports from Brazil rose by 21.8%.

Those figures provide an early indication of the agreement’s potential, although a longer period will be required to determine whether the acceleration represents a sustained change in commercial activity.

The wider European relationship with Mercosur is also expanding. Trade in goods between the two blocs reached €21.79 billion during May and June 2026, compared with €18.30 billion in the same period of 2025. The difference represented growth of 19%, or €3.49 billion.

Trade between Italy and Mercosur increased by 51% between 2019 and 2025 and approached €8 billion during the first half of 2026.

Bilateral meetings in São Paulo

Tajani’s agenda in São Paulo includes meetings with Brazilian Development, Industry, Trade and Services Minister Márcio Rosa and Paulo Skaf, president of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo, known as FIESP.

The bilateral business forum brings together government officials, business associations and corporate executives from both countries. Confindustria president Emanuele Orsini, ICE president Matteo Zoppas and senior representatives from SACE, SIMEST and CDP are participating in the programme.

The Italian foreign minister is also holding discussions with selected chief executives of Italian companies already operating in Brazil. A meeting at the São Paulo offices of technology group Almaviva is focused on the conditions required to expand Italy’s corporate presence in the country.

No individual contracts or investment commitments were initially disclosed as part of the forum. The commercial outcome of the mission will therefore depend on whether the institutional contacts develop into supply agreements, partnerships and productive investment.

An established industrial presence

Italy’s strategy in Brazil is supported by companies that already operate at significant scale in the country.

Energy group Enel employs approximately 10,000 people directly in Brazil and has invested around €13 billion in its local operations. Its São Paulo distribution network serves more than eight million customers and is managed through a control centre that monitors electricity infrastructure in real time.

In the automotive sector, Stellantis operates the Betim industrial complex, opened in 1976 as Fiat’s first factory outside Italy. The facility has produced more than 18 million vehicles, including over four million exported to approximately 40 countries.

These operations illustrate the type of long-term industrial presence that Italy wants to extend beyond traditional exports. The government is seeking to help more companies establish local partnerships, participate in supply chains and use Brazil as a base for the wider South American market.

The Brazilian visit follows the delegation’s stop in Buenos Aires on 8 September, where Italian and Argentine officials discussed trade, investment and industrial cooperation. The programme continues in São Paulo through 10 September.

The decision to visit Argentina and Brazil during the same mission reflects Italy’s broader attempt to turn the EU–Mercosur agreement into business opportunities for companies of different sizes, while diversifying export destinations amid increasing global trade tensions.

Brazil also offers Italy a commercial environment supported by longstanding social links. Approximately 970,000 Italian citizens live in the country, while the population of Italian descent is estimated at around 32 million.

For Italian companies, however, the central question is whether political engagement and lower trade barriers can be converted into contracts, financing and operating capacity.

The mission places Brazil firmly within Italy’s export strategy. Its longer-term significance will depend on whether the current increase in trade is followed by new industrial partnerships and a broader presence by Italian companies in Latin America’s largest economy.