L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano Ambassador of Italy to the U.S. Claudio Bisogniero visited Los Angeles and the West Coast From the Embassy's magnifi- cent headquarters in Washington D . C . , I t a l i a n A m b a s s a d o r Claudio Bisogniero traveled to the West Coast on his official visit to California and – for the first time ever – to Oregon, in the week of March 8th. While in Los Angeles, he was welcomed by the Italian institutions and c o m m u n i t y a t t h e C u l t u r a l Institute in Westwood, where a press conference and a special screening were held. Among o t h e r c o m m i t m e n t s , Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero also met with USC faculty and researchers, as well as with rep- resentatives of the City of Los Angeles. A long and successful career i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e l a t i o n s , Claudio Bisogniero entered the Italian Foreign Service in 1978 a n d s o o n a f t e r s e r v e d a s C o u n s e l o r i n t h e P e r m a n e n t Mission of Italy to NATO for 5 years. He has held multiple cabi- net positions within the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was appointed NATO Deputy Secretary General in Brussels in 2007. He was also a member of the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations in New York and of the Italian delega- tion in the UN Security Council and General Assembly. His first e x p e r i e n c e a t t h e I t a l i a n E m b a s s y i n t h e U . S . w a s i n 1992, when he took office as First Counselor for Economic and Commercial Affairs. Ten y e a r s l a t e r , h e w a s n a m e d A m b a s s a d o r o f I t a l y t o t h e United States. Introduced to the local media a n d d i g n i t a r i e s b y C o n s u l General of Italy in Los Angeles Antonio Verde and IIC Director Valeria Rumori, Ambassador B i s o g n i e r o s t a r t e d o f f h i s r e m a r k s b y p r o v i d i n g a n overview of Italy's current polit- ical and economic situation. He underlined that the Government is implementing massive crucial and overdue reforms, still aimed a t a c c e l e r a t i n g t h e g r a d u a l recover from the crisis. They should address the proverbial THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 4 SILVIA SIMONETTI red tape, the judiciary and law- making systems, and job cre- ation. In particular, he discussed t h e p o s i t i v e i m p a c t t h a t t h e u p c o m i n g E x p o M i l a n 2 0 1 5 (May 1st – October 31st) will have on the economy of both Italy and the world. Compared with the last Expo in Shanghai in 2010, this will be smaller in size but more concen- trated, with the participation of over 140 countries and interna- t i o n a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s , a n d focused on a very topical issue that concerns the international community. Food security, sus- tainability, and healthy nutrition represent, in fact, a major chal- lenge: the present trend would lead us to consume 3 times what E a r t h c a n a c t u a l l y p r o d u c e , jeopardizing the life of about 9.5 billion people by 2050. This is why it is so imperative to take a c t i o n a n d m a k e t h e c h a n g e h a p p e n , a n d I t a l y w i t h i t s famous Mediterranean diet cer- tainly has a say when it comes to food quality and traditions. In addition, Expo Milan 2015 will be a unique occasion to i n c r e a s e t r a d i n g a n d e x p o r t between Europe and the U.S., which is already over 1/3 of global trade and growing, as well as investment opportuni- ties. Since no federal funding was allowed to build the U.S. Pavilion, the non-profit founda- tion Friends of the U.S. Pavilion is gathering companies interest- ed in participating, funding, and most of all showcasing their t e c h n o l o g y , k n o w - h o w , a n d products. In regards to bilateral eco- nomic and commercial relations, Ambassador Bisogniero also m e n t i o n e d t h e T r a n s a t l a n t i c T r a d e a n d I n v e s t m e n t Partnership (TTIP), an ongoing negotiation to develop the first ever free-trade treaty between Europe and the U.S. This win- win measure will include bring- ing down the barriers and tariffs that are now frustrating export in both directions, and unifying the standards and certification system to save companies time and money. Small enterprises without a legal department and limited resources will particular- l y b e n e f i t f r o m t h e T T I P . According to the first studies c a r r i e d o u t b y e x p e r t s , California's export to Europe will increase of 26% and 75,000 new jobs will be created. Right after the press confer- ence, Ambassador Bisogniero, representatives of the Italian Institutions and associations, and the IIC guests commemorat- ed the International Women's D a y w i t h t h e s c r e e n i n g o f a short version of the documentary Catia's Choice. 80 Miles South O f L a m p e d u s a , d i r e c t e d b y Roberto Borchielli (in atten- d a n c e ) . T h e m o v i e t e l l s t h e touching and inspirational true s t o r y o f 3 7 - y e a r o l d C a t i a Pellegrino, Italy's first female naval commander, whose deter- mination and enormous efforts saved the life of hundreds of drowning refugees from Africa o f f t h e c o a s t o f L a m p e d u s a , Sicily, on October 11, 2013. In her Skype message to the audi- ence, the protagonist shared her feelings as well as the reactions of the crew in dealing with a woman in command. C o n g r a t u l a t i n g w i t h h e r , Claudio Bisogniero also remind- ed of Italy's female astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and of all o t h e r p o w e r f u l w o m e n w h o honor their Country of origin. In particular, he illustrated how women's role in regards to nutrition will be recognized dur- ing Expo Milan 2015 through the innovative initiative "WE – Women for EXPO," coordinat- ing ideas, suggestion, and pro- jects based on their vision and knowledge. The results of the world fair's dialog will be presented to the U N S e c r e t a r y G e n e r a l i n October, on the occasion of the World Food Day, in order to ensure a "long lasting legacy" to the experience of Expo Milan 2015. Filmmaker Roberto Borchielli and IIC Director Valeria Rumori Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero Consul General Antonio Verde, Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, IIC Director Valeria Rumori

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