Italy bets on Milan Expo 2015 and the White House calls for partners

Milan Expo 2015 could pull Italy out of the crisis and help to reshape the way the country approaches growth and development. The world exposition will be held in Italy two years from now, between May and October.  Entitled “Feed the Planet. Energy for Life”, the event will address a wide range of themes, including the lack of food in some zones of the planet, food education, GMO products, and eco-sustainable nutrition. 

 

During his last meeting at the White House with Italian premier Enrico Letta, President Barack Obama confirmed the U.S. participation in the Milan Expo with a pavilion. The White House said it is moving forward with its partner, Friends of the U.S. Pavilion Milan 2015, a group that now needs to raise private funds from sponsors to cover the costs. In partnership with The James Beard Foundation and the International Culinary Center, and in association with the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy, the Friends group will work for a “vibrant” U.S. presence. 

Expo 2015 is not only a great opportunity that cannot be lost. Italy must get to work now to ensure that the knowledge gained through the Expo experience will be applied long after 2015, just as the economic development it is expected to produce. 

 

Up to now over one billion euros in foreign investments in Milan are planned, and 138 countries have already signed on. Participating countries currently represent 86% of the world’s population, according to data provided by the United Nations Population Fund and the World Bank.

 

The director of Expo Institutional Affairs Roberto Arditti reports that foreign participation has now reached levels similar to those recorded during the Shanghai Expo in 2010: “There is a big public and private commitment that goes beyond the expectations of only a few months ago”.

 

After the U.S. meeting, premier Letta expressed his enthusiasm: “I am very satisfied with the American openness toward participating”. 

 

The U.S. presence is also a confirmation of the importance of the subjects of food security and sustainable development and of the role they will play in the future of the planet. In addition to focusing on how to promote healthy, safe and sufficient food for everyone on Earth, Expo 2015 will include exhibits on culinary traditions, creativity and innovation from all around the world.

 

The White House said the American goal is “to use state-of-the-art digital media and other novel approaches to showcase U.S. leadership and innovation in global food security, agriculture, and cuisine, and lay the seeds for enhanced trade and investment between the United States and Italy in this sector, so important to the cultural heritage of both nations”.

 

The U.S. State Department already issued a “request for proposal” calling for participants to come forward to work on raising 25 to 45 million USD in private contributions for a 1400 square meter exhibition structure, which would occupy nearly 3000 square meters of exhibition grounds in Milan.