A city with almost three million inhabitants in the middle of Europe offers good insights into its administrative structures. Therefore, Rome in particular was worth a visit. From 14 to 18 September, executives from Kazakhstan and Russia had the opportunity to take a closer look at the activities of state and municipal authorities to promote small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). They also had the opportunity to explore the specifics of state property management and the experience of privatisation in the Italian capital.
For this purpose, the seminar participants first went to the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. A detailed presentation covered the development strategy, the legal basis and the infrastructure for promoting SMEs in Italy as well as the sources of financing, organisational forms and methods and instruments for supporting SMEs.
Next, the executives visited the Municipality of Rome’s Office for Development and Use of State Property, where, among other things, the role, function and task of the municipal administrative authorities in matters of privatisation of state property were explained.
At the Agency for State Property Management CDP, a seminar awaited the visitors on “Objectives, functions, tasks, organisation and infrastructure of state property management and specifics of privatisation, taking into account the protection of historical monuments”. Aspects of regional administration were explained using the example of the Office for Regional Development, Finance and State Property of the Government of the Lazio Region.
Last but not least, the managers from Russia and Kazakhstan explored cooperation possibilities with their Italian colleagues. Alexandra Pitkyanen, the Managing Director of the Fund for the Promotion of Loans to SMEs from Saint-Petersburg, is convinced of the sustainability of the study tour: “Our fund is very interested in further cooperation with Italian authorities, especially with the Agency for State Property Management. I received a lot of useful first-hand information. The visits to the administrative authorities of Rome and Lazio were enlightening to understand the difference between municipal, regional and federal financial instruments.”
