The Balkans have called and Italy has answered: first and foremost with around 50 thousand companies from small to medium-sized, spread from Romania, which hosts 30 thousand of them alone, and Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Kosovo.And the second answer has come with an organisation capable of monitoring the trade transfers with the great area of the Western Balkans.

This machine came into service today, at Veron's trade fair, Veronafiere, where two days of ''Italy & South Eastern Europe Investment'' has got underway: a forum dedicated to relationships between Italy and the Balkan countries, promoted by Italy's Ministry of Economic Development alongside Customs Agencies, Finest, the Italian Foreign Trade Commission and Verona's trade fair management.

The meeting was opened by Minister Claudio Scajola, who noted how Italy can look optimistically in the direction of the Balkan area. ''We are divided by the straits of the Adriatic, but we are close to them culturally and exercise a great 'appeal' over these countries, who look to us with admiration.

Which is why there is a natural empathy between us. We have developed significant trade relations with these states and our volume of trade is almost the same as that with Germany''. In the view of the minister, who was flanked in Verona by Albania's Premier, Sali Berisha, the Balkan Plan, launched in September 2008 ''has been of crucial importance for Italy's internationalisation policy.

The Balkan's were our first taste of growth of Italy abroad and the results are there to be seen''. Having kicked off in 2009 with decreases of between 20% and 15% in trade with the Balkans, Italy is hoping that this year will see a 20% comeback to pass the 10-billion-euro mark.

The meeting in Verona may help this to happen, as there are around 500 enterprises taking part, offering their projects to countries such as Albania, which are prepared to cut the barriers of red tape to let in fresh economic impetus. As Scajola pointed out, Italy has a further objective in the Mediterranean area:

''We are aiming to become a hub in the energy sector are working to make our country an 'energy-lab'. Links with the Balkans help them, because without power there is no development and they help to keep our electricity bills down''.

The meeting in Verona may turn out to be the first in a long series: ''We are planning to set up an annual meeting to monitor development in partnerships in the key sectors of the economy: from infrastructure to logistics, from energy to transport and collaboration in trade fairs''.