Prato, October 11, 2026 – The Europe Today: The Organization for Trade and Industry of Morocco in Italy (OCIMI) and CNA Toscana Centro, an Italian business association representing artisans and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Prato and Pistoia, have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen economic ties between Morocco and Italy and create new business opportunities for companies in both countries.
The agreement was signed on Friday at CNA Toscana Centro’s headquarters in Prato by Emiliano Melani, President of CNA Toscana Centro, and Marouan El Mansoub, President of OCIMI. Simone Calzolai, a lawyer specialising in international strategic partnerships, also attended the ceremony.
The memorandum aims to promote trade, facilitate bilateral investment and build strategic partnerships, with a particular focus on helping SMEs from Prato and Pistoia expand into the Moroccan market. It sets out a framework for cooperation that includes business and institutional missions, participation in trade fairs, and business-to-business and business-to-government meetings to link companies with potential commercial and industrial partners. It also seeks to encourage joint ventures and long-term partnerships between Italian and Moroccan firms.
Under the agreement, OCIMI will offer CNA Toscana Centro member companies business profiling services, help in identifying customers, suppliers and partners, and support for entering the Moroccan market. The two organisations will also organise dedicated business missions, structured support programmes and direct contact with Moroccan institutional and economic stakeholders, as well as joint participation in international trade fairs and promotional events.
Emiliano Melani described the memorandum as a significant achievement that gives member companies practical tools to internationalise and develop new opportunities in Morocco, which he called a strategic gateway to the African continent. He said the initiative builds on a “Doing Business in Morocco” event held at the association’s headquarters in June, which showed strong interest from local entrepreneurs. The agreement, he said, turns that interest into structured and lasting action.
Marouan El Mansoub welcomed the partnership as a concrete opportunity to deepen dialogue between the business communities of the two countries. He said Italy and Morocco can build on their longstanding economic and human ties to create more structured cooperation, particularly for SMEs, by fostering networking, partnerships and access to new markets.
Simone Calzolai said the signing marked the beginning of a concrete journey rather than a formality. He noted that trade between Italy and Morocco already exceeds €5 billion but still has ample room for growth. He highlighted Morocco’s role as a strategic platform, just 14 kilometres from Europe and home to the Tangier Med logistics hub. He also pointed to opportunities in less traditional sectors such as sports-related business. He added that the agreement could help smaller companies without dedicated international teams overcome barriers related to market information, finding partners and accessing investment opportunities.
According to CNA Toscana Centro, the agreement also reflects Morocco’s growing importance as a logistics, commercial and production hub linking Europe and Africa.
