Turin- Since the beginning of the nineties of the last century, Italy has witnessed an increasing influx of Arab migrants looking for job opportunities, especially in the contracting sector. Among them was Mohamed Abdel Rahman, the Egyptian young man, who started his career, a simple factor, but he soon managed to develop himself to become a prominent contractor and investor in the field of restaurants.
For nearly 30 years, Mohamed Abdel Rahman has established about 12 restaurants in the city of Turin, northern Italy, to become a pioneer of the halal Arab restaurant sector in the country. Like any immigrants seeking to improve his circumstances, Abdul Rahman has fought the journey of learning and acquiring skills in a manner that is compatible with the labor market in the Diaspora.
Abdel Rahman tells his experience, saying: “I learned the art of cooking, especially the preparation of pizza, as all restaurants only served Italian food, which prompted me to provide halal Arab food to serve the Arab and Muslim community in Italy.”
The idea of establishing a halal restaurant came after joining a training course in this field, but the establishment of the project was not easy, as he faced great financing challenges. Abdel -Rahman explains: “Of course, there were obstacles, but through cooperation and partnership, we were able to provide the necessary capital, as partnership is a decisive element of the success of any project.”
In 1993, the first halal restaurant was opened in northern Italy in Turin, to be the first of its kind in providing halal pizza and fast food. The restaurant was not only directed to Muslims and Arabs, but also targeted the Italians, as food is a cultural means of communication that contributes to promoting integration within Italian society.
Arab restaurants .. from simplicity to luxury
Arab investors in Italy have emerged remarkably in the restaurant sector, which is confirmed by Mohamed Kamal, a researcher at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at the University of Turin, saying: “The large presence of the Arab community has contributed to the spread of restaurants run by Arab investors, where here is an increasing demand for Arab dishes “.
In addition, the prosperity of Arab and Muslim tourism in Italy has had a role in stimulating investment in halal restaurants, and Mohamed Kamal says: “Italy is a prominent tourist destination globally, and its geographical proximity to Arab and Islamic countries, as well as its reasonable tourism costs, made it a preferred destination for Arab and Muslim tourists “.
In recent years, the Arab restaurant sector has witnessed a remarkable development, as some Arab investors have moved from providing simple foods to investing in luxury restaurants. “There are businessmen from the Gulf states who invested in upscale restaurants in cities such as Turin, Bologna and Floransa, along with other sectors that are profitable,” Kamal added.
Through these successes, the restaurant sector has become a model for the leadership of Arab business in Italy, where Arab immigrants were able to transform the challenges of integration into successful economic opportunities, which reflect their ability to creativity and adaptation in a new environment.
Economic stability and Arab opportunities
Italy is one of the largest economies of the eurozone, as it provides a profitable investment environment, as its GDP reached about 2.2 trillion dollars in 2023, making it an attractive destination for external investments.
Italy is characterized by long -term strategic agreements with Arab investment institutions, such as the agreement concluded with Qatar Energy to supply LNG for 27 years.
Qatar has also invested 5.9 billion dollars in buying 7 ships from Vintentere, which is an indication of the Arab trend towards long -term investment in Italy.
Economic researcher Mohamed Kamal stresses that there is an increasing demand from Arab investors on Italy within direct foreign investments, and this is clearly shown in credit funds.
According to the same spokesman, Italy is increasingly popular with Arab investors, especially from the Gulf countries such as Qatar, thanks to its strategic location near the Arab world, the quality of its infrastructure, its strong real estate sector, and its distinguished international brand “made in Italy”, which includes the areas of agriculture Nutrition, auto industry, sports and fashion, especially in the light industries that the Italians are famous for.
The real estate, hotel, energy, and infrastructure sectors are among the sectors in which the Gulf states invest.
The Qatar Sovereign Fund (Qatar Investment Authority) acquired 100% of the commercial zone in Milan with an estimated investment of about 2 billion euros (2.2 billion dollars), while Qatari investments in the Italian real estate market amounted to 5.5 billion dollars.
As for Saudi Arabia, Riyadh and Rome signed last January, industrial and cooperative agreements worth $ 10 billion, which included infrastructure, energy and entertainment sectors.
The UAE, in turn, is moving towards raising their investments in Italy, where last May, 53 projects have been displayed in Italy in the energy, infrastructure and green technology sectors, as well as meetings to enhance economic cooperation.
As for Kuwait, it entered into an investment partnership of 2.2 billion euros, while the Sultanate of Oman has achieved returns exceeding 50% of its investments in Italian assets, which reflects a strategic approach to maximizing profits.
An attractive investment destination
Among the factors that made Italy is an attractive investment destination, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation declared in 2023 the establishment of the “attracting investment and liberalizing unit”, with the aim of facilitating, directing and reducing bureaucracy in investment procedures, through a unified net, in addition to providing Italian authorities investment privileges within a plan To attract new investors, including Arab investors, the researcher Kamal Al -Basha explains.
Italy stands out as a growing opportunity for Arab investors, thanks to the political stability it has witnessed for more than two years, which is rare in the country compared to economic competitors in the European Union, such as Germany and France, which witnessed the collapse of their coalition governments before the end of last year.
This context makes Italy a distinct choice for Arab investments, especially with the great transformations witnessed by the Italian economy, thanks to the pumping of money from the European Union after the Kofid-19s.
The national recovery and flexibility plan adopted by Italy after the pandemic, which is valued at 200 billion euros (220 billion dollars), formed a major attraction, focusing on infrastructure, digitization and renewable energy, which enhances the attractiveness of Italy as an Arab and international investment destination.
Golden Alaplet
Italy offers the “Golden Visa” program – also known as “investor visa” – to attract investors from outside the European Union, including Arab investors.
This program provides investors with the opportunity to obtain a residence permit in Italy in exchange for specific investments in the Italian economy, and economic researcher Mohamed Kamal explains.
Among the most prominent investment options:
- Investing in startups: $ 270,000.
- Investing in existing companies: 540 thousand dollars
- Investing in government bonds: $ 2.2 million.
Among the advantages of the program:
- It gives investors and members of their families the freedom to move within the Schengen area without the need for an additional visa.
- The possibility of applying for permanent residence after 5 years of continuous residence in Italy.
- Then apply for Italian citizenship after 10 years.
- The program does not impose a minimum for actual residence in Italy, giving investors great flexibility in managing their personal business and affairs.
