The surge in Italian companies investing in Germany
From Italo to Mermec, from Feralpi to Leonardo: investment on the rise. Ambassador Bucci: “The strategic link between Italia and Germany is crucial for the EU”
‘Here come the Italians’: this was the headline used by Germany’s leading daily newspaper, the F.A.Z., for a recent feature focusing on three major Italian companies currently on the rise in Germany: UniCredit, with its ‘strategic transaction’ aimed at acquiring Commerzbank, holds a stake of close to 50 per cent in Germany’s second-largest bank, which, in terms of market capitalisation, is worth 22 billion euros; Italo, with its plan to purchase 30 trains manufactured by Siemens to enter the German rail transport market with an estimated investment of 3.6 billion by 2028; Mediaset, with its acquisition of ProSiebenSat.1, one of Germany’s leading media groups. It is true that the economic and industrial partnership between Italia and Germany is experiencing a golden age. And UniCredit, Italo and Mediaset are just three of the many Italian champions securing leading positions in Germany.
Italian companies – large, medium-sized and small – are gaining in influence and importance within the German economy through joint ventures, investments and acquisitions worth tens of billions of euros in Germany. And they are doing so by moving beyond the flagship sectors of ‘Made in Italy’ such as agri-food, luxury goods, gastronomy, tourism, the automotive industry, steel and pharmaceuticals. They are making their mark in sectors that are becoming increasingly strategic from a geopolitical perspective, such as defence, aerospace, transport, energy, ICT, robotics and AI, quantum computing and semiconductors.
Spaceopal is a company in which Telespazio and the German organisation DLR GfR hold stakes, responsible for the operations of the European satellite navigation system Galileo. Thales Alenia Space and Deutsche Telekom are working together on the European IRIS programme. To the Leonardo Rheinmetall Military Vehicles joint venture, Leonardo has added a letter of intent with KNDS Deutschland for self-propelled artillery. IDV (Iveco Defence Vehicles) supplies trucks to the German army.
In the German rail sector, in addition to the arrival of Italo, Germany is already the most important foreign market for the FS Group: Ferrovie dello Stato holds a 100 per cent stake in Netinera Deutschland for regional transport services. Mermec Deutschland operates in Germany in the field of railway signalling, with ongoing projects in digital control systems worth 6.3 billion. Salcef BAU GmbH works with Deutsche Bahn. MSC has acquired a stake in Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, whilst the Grimaldi Group also has a presence in Hamburg. ERG operates in Germany’s wind power sector. Enel has launched an expansion strategy in Germany, where it will grow through targeted acquisitions.
Ansaldo has built two power stations in Germany. SICIM is involved in various cable-laying projects across Germany. Maire is active in hydrogen production. The Feralpi Group, which has been operating in Germany since 1992, recently opened an innovative rolling mill in Riesa. Germany is Marcegaglia’s second most important strategic market, after Italia.
Pirelli has been present in Germany since 1963 and is the only Italian company to have joined the “Made for Germany” initiative. Brembo regards the German market as key, which is why it has recently increased its investment by 100 million. Webuild is taking part in the tender process for the Hamburg Metro. Almaviva, a leader in ICT, has recently set up a company in Germany.
