Anima welcomes the agreement as a strategic lever for the internationalization and diversification of the Italian mechanical engineering markets.
Anima Confindustria welcomes the provisional application of the EU-Mercosur Agreement , which entered into force on 1 May 2026, considering it a significant step towards strengthening economic relations between Europe and South America at a time of growing geopolitical tensions and the redefinition of global trade balances.
The agreement represents a concrete opportunity for the European and Italian manufacturing systems, contributing to the reduction of tariff barriers , the simplification of trade , and the strengthening of more diversified and resilient value chains . In an international context particularly characterized by instability and protectionist reversals, opening up to other reliable markets takes on strategic importance , also with a view to pursuing industrial, energy, and critical resource supply autonomy.
"We welcome with great confidence the launch of the EU-Mercosur agreement, which we at Anima have always supported, as a strategic lever for the internationalization of our companies and for expanding the presence of Italian manufacturing in growing South American markets," declared the president of Anima Confindustria, Pietro Almici.
The data confirms the region's potential: in 2025, exports of Italian mechanical engineering to Central and South America reached €1.82 billion, up 1.9% compared to 2024. Brazil , meanwhile, remains one of the region's main destination markets, with €458.9 million, a 21.1% increase. These signs highlight how the entire region represents a truly expanding pool for Italian technologies.
"In this scenario ," Almici continues, " the agreement helps strengthen a market diversification strategy that we believe is essential to reducing dependencies and consolidating the competitiveness of the European manufacturing system. At the same time, it promotes access to raw materials and the development of integrated industrial supply chains: two key elements for addressing the challenges of the energy and technological transition."
A concrete example of collaboration with the South American market is the recent Memorandum of Understanding signed between Anima and Adimra (Asociación de Industriales Metalúrgicos de la República Argentina), the main Argentine association representing the mechanical and metallurgical industries, aimed at promoting industrial synergies, the exchange of expertise, and the joint development of opportunities within their respective markets.
"The launch of Mercosur marks an important step, but it is essential to maintain this momentum and work towards the full implementation of the agreement," Almici concluded. "In an increasingly competitive global context, agreements of this magnitude represent an essential tool for supporting growth, the need for innovation, and, even more importantly, the international presence of Italian and European industry."
35.bi-mu has closed: technology, conferences, and networking for the 26,000 professionals attending
35.BI-MU , the international biennial exhibition dedicated to the industry manufacturing metal-cutting and metal-forming machine tools, robots, automation, digital and additive manufacturing, auxiliary and enabling technologies, closed on Friday 16 October. The event has been running since Tuesday 13 October in the exhibition halls of fieramilano Rho. Promoted by UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE and organized by EFIM-ENTE FIERE ITALIANE MACCHINE , BI-MU offered a broad overview of the sector's international offerings, confirming its position as a key event for manufacturing industry operators, offering them a rich calendar of meetings and numerous opportunities and initiatives designed to foster networking. The 26,000 professional operators present at 35.BI-MU were able to closely observe the offerings of the 448 companies present , 30% of which came from abroad : Austria, China, Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Korea, France, Japan, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the USA. The international offerings on display in the pavilions also attracted foreign operators, who accounted for 6% of the total , representing 80 countries , including Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Slovenia, Austria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, India, Turkey, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and Egypt. Among them were the 120 guests—including qualified end users, trade analysts, and journalists —of the incoming mission organized by UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. ICE-Agenzia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, again in collaboration with UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, also promoted the organization of the Start-up Area , which included around twenty companies whose offerings integrate well with the production of capital goods. The event also welcomed a delegation of representatives from the European Community's Machinery Unit who, together with representatives from CECIMO, visited the exhibition and met with UCIMU's top management for an open discussion on issues of interest to the sector. With the new Associations & Network Hub initiative, BI-MU has reserved a dedicated space for manufacturing business associations representing key sectors, both supply chain and local, with the aim of encouraging dialogue, understanding, and the exchange of useful information among the stakeholders involved in the fair. In addition to networking, considerable attention was paid to collateral initiatives for in-depth cultural exploration of specific themes, aimed at the event's diverse audiences: exhibitors, visitors, students, researchers, education professionals, the media, and institutions. Over 50 events were organized as part of BI-MU by the organizers and institutional partners. Among the meetings hosted in the BI-MU Arena, the most well-attended was the Inaugural Conference chaired by Riccardo Rosa , president of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE, with: Valentino Valentini , Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, Giovanni Bozzetti , President of Fondazione Fiera Milano, Simona Greco , Hosted Exhibitions Director of Fiera Milano, Luca Durante , Head of the Capital Goods Office of ICE-Agenzia, Gian Piero Cutillo , Co-General Manager of Leonardo, and Roberto Vavassori , Executive Director of Brembo and president of ANFIA, moderated by Paolo Bricco , Correspondent of Il Sole 24 Ore. The two special forums dedicated to the Aerospace & Defense and Energy sectors attracted great interest, analyzed through the direct testimony of the production and operations directors of some of the main international players and the CEOs of several Italian SMEs. In terms of training, the VLF4EU (Virtual Learning Factory for EU) International Conference was particularly significant, with the participation of around thirty researchers from Denmark, France, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Italy. The dialogue between young people and the world of work was explored in depth at the meeting " Value, Future, Impact. Work According to the New Generation, " organized by ANIPLA with the patronage of the UCIMU Foundation. These conferences were part of the Skills Area meetings calendar. Set up in pavilion 24, the Skills Area also hosted several initiatives promoted by UCIMU Academy and FONDAZIONE UCIMU , including ROBOTGAMES , the automation and robotics competition aimed at secondary school students, now in its second edition. Approximately 4,000 students , accompanied by their professors, were accredited in this space. During the four days of the exhibition, they took self-guided tours of the exhibitors' stands, guided by tutors—all students from ITS INCOM —to observe the latest-generation technologies up close. The Additive Future Lab , an initiative promoted by AITA, the Italian Association of Additive Technologies, made its debut at 35.BI-MU. This initiative is dedicated to ITS students and additive manufacturing technologies. The awards ceremony was hosted at the association's stand within AMITALY , the BI-MU area dedicated to additive manufacturing. A brand new addition to the 35th edition was the BI-MU FutureTech Award , designed to recognize the best innovations presented at the fair in the categories of mechanical innovation, digitalization, and sustainability. And to celebrate 70 years since the first BI-MU was organized, EFIM, in collaboration with the Historical Archives of the Fondazione Fiera Milano, has created “ 70 Years of Machine Tools ,” a photographic exhibition that collects, in no particular order, some testimonies of the machine tool biennial from its beginnings to the present day. The manufacturing industry's interest in the event is also measured by activity on the bimu.it website and digital channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube). Between January 1, 2025, and October 16, 2026, the bimu.it website attracted 80,000 unique visitors (+7% compared to 2024). The BI-MU social media community now has 12,419 registered followers (+14%) compared to the end of the last BI-MU edition. Of all the event's profiles, LinkedIn has the most active activity, followed by Instagram. While waiting for 36.BI-MU, scheduled for October 10-13, 2028, the next appointment for industry professionals is EMO MILANO 2027, from October 4-8, 2027, also at fieramilano.
Industriale.it certification