It as part of a trade mission organised by the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade with the National Builders Association and the Association of the Organisations of Engineering and Technical-Economic Consulting supported by the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economic Development and the Italian embassy in Bucharest. The minister said total trade between the countries was 12 billion euros last year, seven percent more than in 2013. "Italy is the first country in Romania in terms of number of businesses: 17,000 active out of over 40,000 registered. Another 1,800 arrived last year and 756 in 2015. Italy was also Romania's second largest supplier in 2014 after Germany." The countries are increasingly close and "Italy will always stand alongside Romania. Doing business is becoming increasingly natural", he continued. A total of 110 Italian companies are taking part in the business mission. The aim is to provide businesses with a complete picture of infrastructure projects planned in Romania and those co-financed by the EU and supported by international financial organisations. Italian companies in Romania take part in all sectors and recently investments by large enterprises have grown, although initially the Romanian market mainly attracted small and medium companies. The head of the Italian Foreign Ministry said there are banks willing to help Italian companies wanting to invest there. Romanian Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, thanked Italy and said he is "proud and optimistic for the future, thanks to the big Italian investors who have confidence in Romania". He praised Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who he has known since he was mayor of Florence, and thanked the many businesses that continue to invest in the country. He told Italian companies that may want to enter the Romanian market, that despite the great crisis Romania has had to face, "the country has been growing for four years thanks to the government's reforms". The prime minister said that Romania will sign an infrastructure agreement worth 12 billion euros at noon on Friday at the government building in a ceremony attended by the European Commissioner for Regional Development. (AGI)