<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The King and Queen concluded their State visit to Italy on Thursday in Naples, which included the awarding of an Honorary Doctorate to the Monarch by the University Federico II, coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the foundation of this institution.</strong></h4> The day began in Rome with a working breakfast with a representation of Italian and Spanish businessmen and with the inauguration of an Italy-Spain business forum, under the name 'Italy-Spain, European strategic partners: challenges and perspectives towards a future of sustainable growth', where the relationship between both economies was addressed in the areas of Infrastructure, Mobility and Transport; Energy, Environment and Green Transition; Industry, Defense and Technology; and Finance, Insurance and Investments. During the opening of the business forum, Don Felipe made a statement in which he stated that Spanish and Italian companies are “world leaders, not only in mature sectors such as fashion, design, tourism, but also in more modern ones such as cybersecurity, health technology or green energy”. The King was accompanied, among others, by the Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Antonio Tajani; the Secretary of State for Trade, Amparo López Senovilla; the CEO of ICEX, Elisa Carbonell; the President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE), Antonio Garamendi; the President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet, and a large representation of Spanish and Italian businessmen. Italy is the third client and the fourth supplier of goods to Spain. In 2023, bilateral trade flows of goods reached 61,346.5 million euros, 2.9% higher than in 2022. In terms of investment, Italy is the eleventh destination for Spanish foreign investment, with an investment stock that reached 14,952.4 million euros in 2022, mainly in the telecommunications, financial services and insurance sectors. According to the Investment Register, there are 422 Spanish companies in Italy, employing 35,789 people. For its part, Italy is the fifth largest investor in Spain, with an investment position of 52,665.48 million euros in 2022, mainly in the energy, gas and steam supply sectors; civil engineering and wholesale trade. There are 683 Italian companies in Spain registered in the Investment Register, employing 67,786 people. Queen Letizia also met with Spanish staff from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. The Queen was appointed Special Ambassador for Nutrition by the FAO in 2015. <h5><strong>Felipe VI, Doctor Honoris Causa in Naples</strong></h5> After the events in Rome, the King and Queen of Spain travelled to Naples, where the Monarch received, at the Teatro San Carlo, the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in Social Sciences and Statistics awarded by the University of Naples Federico II, coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the foundation of this institution, the oldest secular and state university in the world. This is the first title of Doctor Honoris Causa that Don Felipe has received. During the ceremony, the King gave a ‘Lectio Magistralis’ in which he stated that, “since its foundation by Federico II on 5 June 1224, this ancient University has been able to attract the best talents both from what Petrarch called ‘my Italy’ and from all of Europe, to the point of becoming one of the main centres of knowledge, a reference for the balance between tradition and innovation, stability and flexibility that every university must integrate.” “The link between Naples and Spain is one of the closest and most fertile in history, culture or art,” he continued. “Naples cannot be understood without Spain and Spain cannot be understood without Italy, and more specifically without Naples” and “an excellent example of our bond is Alfonso V, the Magnanimous, monarch of the Crown of Aragon (1416-1458) and king of Naples, who, in this same city, distinguished himself as a true Renaissance patron, surrounding himself with a Court in which notable men of letters, artists and intellectuals participated,” he said. Felipe VI also remembered Carlos III, “my direct ancestor, first king of Naples from where he left to later become king of Spain” and who, as “an enlightened sovereign, patron of the arts and sciences,” constitutes “a reference without whom the relationship between Naples and Spain cannot be fully understood.” After the ceremony, the King and Queen went to Naples airport, where after a brief meeting with the President of Italy and reviewing the troops who were paying them their respects, they left for Spain, ending the State Visit to the Italian Republic.
