Tuscany hosted the Italian presentation of the World Investment Report 2026 in Florence on Thursday, bringing the United Nations’ annual analysis of foreign direct investment (FDI) to the Innovation Center on lungarno Soderini.
Organized by Invest in Tuscany, part of the Regional Government’s Directorate for Territorial Competitiveness, the Florence event was the report’s only Italian stop and serves as an official lead-up to Selecting Italy, the national forum promoted by the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces focusing on strategies for attracting international investment.
The event brought together representatives from institutions, business and academia to examine the forces reshaping the global geography of investment. Among the themes emerging from the discussion were supply-chain security, the green transition and advanced technological skills, increasingly important factors in the decisions of foreign-owned companies.
The presentation of the report was led by Bruno Casella, senior economist at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The programme also included Paolo Tedeschi, director of Tuscany’s Directorate for Territorial Competitiveness, and Filippo Giabbani of Invest in Tuscany, alongside representatives from the business and academic communities. The Italian government was represented remotely by Deputy Minister Valentini of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (Mimit) and Dr Lobasso of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Maeci).
According to the discussion, Italy is experiencing a changing composition of foreign investment, with growing attention to sectors including renewable energy, semiconductors and data centres. A key challenge is ensuring that these investments become embedded in local industrial supply chains rather than operating as isolated projects.
Against this backdrop, the Florence meeting highlighted Tuscany’s efforts to position itself as a region capable of attracting and supporting international investment through a combination of internationally recognized research, high-value manufacturing and institutional support throughout the investment cycle.
