IMIA Members' Meeting elects Piero Formenti for the four-year term of 2025-2029

IMIA Members' Meeting elects Piero Formenti for the four-year term of 2025-2029 © Confindustria Nautica

On Friday 16th May, the General Assembly of the Italian Marine Industry Association elected Piero Formenti as President of the national trade association for the four-year term from 2025 to 2029 with an impressive 94.4% consensus, equal to a total of 15,622 votes, after having received a significant and widespread majority of votes from all nine of the Association's own Sector Assemblies during the Members' consultation phase carried out by the Appointment Committee, established in accordance with the Articles of Association's statute.

• "Participation", "regulations" and a "unifying purpose" to be the new president's guidelines, as Formenti recalls the fruitful achievements from working with the government and underlines "the silence" received from the Italian revenue agency
• Milestones making up the "2025-2029 boating industry plan" are presented during the public assembly To ministers Santanche' (tourism), Rixi (MIT), Rigillo (sea-related policy), Zannetti (confederation of Italian industry)

"Participation", "regulations" and a "unifying purpose" will be the defining guidelines, as set out by the new president himself during a powerful inaugural speech, aspects that will outmatch all of the other valid reasons for belonging to the Association, all three aimed at ensuring common leadership and allowing all members to take charge of spreading the Italian Marine Industry Association's philosophy throughout the country.

"As the first-ever president to represent the Small Boating Industry, believe me when I say: we must go beyond any sense of separate identity. Instead, we must affirm—first and foremost—the strength, visibility, and appeal that the Large Marine Industry brings to our entire supply chain. This sector holds a particular responsibility: to uphold ethical standards and to promote a strong, forward-thinking business culture. I call on the large industry to participate as fully as possible in the life of our association," began Formenti, reminding us that "around such a powerful core, it is our duty to promote the great value of our entire supply chain - from Engines to Components and Equipment, Dedicated Services, Charters, Sales Networks - all of which must also be supported with tailored promotional initiatives. This is undoubtedly one of the many strong points that define our Association, an unwavering chain, each link of which contributes to the system's common value".

Our unified vision is exemplified perfectly in our commitment as active members of EBI (the European Boating Industry federation) and ICOMIA (the International Council of Marine Industry Associations), of the Confederation of Italian Industry's Technical Groups (such as those dedicated to "Europe", "Marine Economy", "Internationalisation", "Sustainability", "Protection of the Made in Italy brand", "Tourism and Culture"), of the Italian tourism federation Federturismo Confindustria and of the Italian Marine Federation.

A strong industrial system is a condition necessary in order to operate effectively in an international context that is by no means simple. And it is for this very reason that there was no lack or delay in listening to and interacting with European Institutions, a clear confirmation of the fruitful dialogue that exists with the Government, the Customs and Monopolies Agency, the Italian Trade Agency, and the General Command of Italian Harbour Offices, the sole exception being "the silence of the Italian Revenue Agency with regards to leasing, a silence that over the past two years has become deafening, to say the least".

"I warmly congratulate Prime Minister Meloni for having successfully brought the America's Cup event to Naples, an achievement so great it simultaneously supports the boating industry, sports, and the Italian South," stressed the new President, who closed with what he described as "the most delicate and urgent issue: training. The Italian Marine Industry Association intends to provide with renewed commitment the professional training opportunities that the sector offers to young people and to find new ways of training specialised workers, while always continuing to promote maritime and boating culture".

During the Association Members' Public Assembly - with the participation of Daniela Santanchè, Italy's Minister for Tourism, Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister for Infrastructures and Transport, Ricardo Rigillo, Chief of the Minister's Office for Sea Policy, and Mario Zanetti, the Confederation of Italian Industry's delegate for the Marine Economy - 6 Milestones that will make up the 2025-2029 Boating Industry Plan were presented, the focus points of which will be as follows: Tourism's role in the industry and linked activities, Sustainable Technological Innovation and Transition, Protection of the Made in Italy brand and Market Surveillance, Regulatory Simplification and Fiscal Competitiveness, Sea Culture, as well as Training opportunities - which will be developed over the next few months by the Association's Sector Assemblies.

The General Council approved the line-up of the Association Vice Presidents, with three new appointments and one continuation, two of which were already Sector Presidents. "I have presented a proposal that is clearly based on the Association's balance and the country's main production areas, but which is also strongly focused on the strategic lines of our programme, rewriting the usual areas of delegation," explained Formenti.

There are two new delegation areas, Professional Training and Sea Culture, entrusted to Vincenzo Poerio (CEO of Tankoa Yachts), and Development of Southern Italy and Special Economic Zones, added to the Internationalisation area, delegated to Dr. Marco Monsurrò (CEO of Coelmo S.p.A.); the European Representation area will be expanded to include national legislation and entrusted to Dr. Fabio Planamente (Partner and Board Member of Cantiere del Pardo S.p.A.). The Promotion of Made in Italy production and Business Networks is delegated to Dr. Alessandro Gianneschi (CEO of Gianneschi Pumps and Blowers S.r.l.), who will also be taking over Association Development.

In addition, Marco Valle (Managing Director Azimut Yachts) has also been directly appointed by the President to complete the General Council, in accordance with the Articles of the Association Statute, along with Dr. Marco Cappeddu (European Union Office - Fincantieri S.p.A.), having taken into consideration his specific professional skills, who was entrusted with the ESG Objectives Project, Ecological Transition and Raw Materials area.

The statements

Santanchè: "The boating industry plays a central role in the relaunch of Italy's tourism sector. For 2024 there will be confirmation of a 2% growth in moorings, with positive forecasts for 2025 (+2.9% permanent, +3.2% transit). The sector generates € 8.3 billion in turnover and, considering all associated activities, more than 210,000 jobs, confirming the industry as one of the absolute excellences of the Made in Italy industry. We have launched dedicated interventions focused on the redevelopment of marinas, the strengthening of digital connectivity, and the integration of services via apps, and we are working to make boating more accessible and more sustainable, promoting international events such as the America's Cup in Naples in 2027, an event that can make the difference, not only for South of Italy, but for the entire nation as a whole".

Urso: "Within the "Made in Italy 2030" White Paper, which we will be presenting before the summer, we recognise the Italian boating industry as one of the new pillars of national industrial policy, alongside the historical sectors of food, clothing, and furniture. In this perspective, our Ministry strongly supports the sector's path towards sustainability, through non-repayable subsidies for decarbonisation and structural measures within the Transition 4.0 and 5.0 programmes and the 'New Sabatini' subsidy".

Rixi: "The boating sector is experiencing a revitalisation phase thanks to important regulatory and administrative measures. Among the main results are the new D1 licence, the simplified professional title for chartering, and the strengthening of the national telematic register. Widespread digitalisation and a keen European harmonisation process have already been launched, with the aim of simplifying boating unit management. Work is also being carried out to recover port areas for boating activities and the creation of new berths, particularly in underserved areas. The Genoa International Boat Show continues to play a central role as a strategic event at an international level. Promoting the sector among younger generations and simplifying regulations to encourage the use of the Italian flag are also key priorities".

Rigillo: "The Ministry for Sea Policy acts on a clear mandate based on a vision of coordinated perspective between the competences divided among a dozen ministries.

After the Plan for the Sea, in the past few days the recreational scuba diving bill has been finalised and the that on the Enhancement of Marine Resources is close to being completed, which, also thanks to the contribution of the Italian Marine Industry Association, contains a package to that will update the country's Boating Code".

Zanetti: "The sea is a strategic asset for Italy. The marine economy is worth more than 10% of GDP and employs more than one million people. Thanks to the establishment of the Italian Ministry for Sea Policy, there is now an opportunity to develop a dedicated industrial policy. Upgrading infrastructure, training skills and regulatory simplification are all effective triggers for development. In boating, as in the commercial sector, we need to streamline the Italian flag. On 15th July a position paper will be presented with concrete proposals to strengthen the entire cluster".

Fortis: "Boating units are one of the spearheads defining the so-called "new surplus" with foreign countries of Made in Italy production, together with cruise ships, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, optics and cosmetics. From 2019 to 2024 the contribution of the nautical sector (+1.8 billion) to the growth of the overall Italian manufacturing surplus (+12.5 billion) was 14.3%.

Italian exports of recreational and sport boats," Fortis reminded us, "have increased a great deal over the course of the last ten years, from 2014 to 2024 (+119% in value), more than double the national manufacturing export as a whole (+55%), reaching an all-time high of EUR 4.3 billion".

Porcari: "Banca BPER is actively supporting the boating industry, working alongside both large shipyards and SMEs operating throughout the sector with tailor-made financial instruments such as reverse factoring and support for internationalisation. In cooperation with the certifying body RINA and the Italian Marine Industry Association, BPER will launch an ESG platform to assess sustainability performance and facilitate access to subsidised financing. Boating is recognised as an economic and strategic lever, at the heart of investment and innovation for the future of the country as a coordinated system".