ITALY’S SEAT OF PARLIAMENT MONTECITORIO HOSTED THE CONFINDUSTRIA NAUTICA MEMBERS’ ASSEMBLY, BRINGING TOGETHER INSTITUTIONS AND ENTREPRENEURS

FORMENTI: WE MUST "WORK TOGETHER" TO STRENGTHEN THE BLUE ECONOMY AND THE MADE IN ITALY BRAND'S COMPETITIVE EDGE. WE WELCOME THE SEA ENHANCEMENT BILL, PRESENTED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO THE SENATE, WITH OPEN ARMS.

DEPUTY MINISTER RIXI ON THE RECREATIONAL BOATING INDUSTRY: SIMPLIFYING SUCH A STRATEGIC SECTOR IS KEY.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SALVINI ALSO MEETS WITH THE ASSOCIATION'S GENERAL COUNCIL.

Rome, 11^th December 2025 - Confindustria Nautica - Italian Marine Industry Association held its annual Members' Assembly in Rome, in the evocative setting of the Chamber of Deputies' Sala della Regina, an event dedicated to open discussion alongside institutions with a focus on the most pressing scenarios affecting the national boating industry.

"The fact that an event as important as the Annual Members' Assembly is being hosted at the Palazzo Montecitorio just goes to show the key role played by the boating sector as an industrial pillar of national significance and that played by its national trade association. I would like to thank President Lorenzo Fontana for this gesture," stated Piero Formenti, President of Confindustria Nautica, during the opening speeches.

"Something shifted in 2024: exports from the recreational boating industry exceeded those of the entire commercial shipbuilding industry, reaching a historic record in terms of turnover and employees. If there had been a time in which recreational boating could ever have been considered to be a secondary sector, not just in terms of industry but within the Italian economy in general, such a time is unequivocally over.After exceptionally fruitful meetings with the Italian Ministry for Infrastructure and Transport - for which I would like to extend my thanks to Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi, Commander-in-Chief of the Port Authorities Admiral Sergio Liardo and Director-General Patrizia Scarchilli - and equally essential discussions with the Italian Ministries for Maritime Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Business and Made in Italy Production, Tourism and the Environment, I now expect, indeed we all expect, a paradigm shift involving all administrations and public bodies, in order to create a truly national system and to defend and enhance the competitiveness, employment opportunities and international projection of our companies. This, of course, applies to the boating sector, but it also must apply to all sectors related to exports and Made in Italy production. The maritime cluster is in clear need of bureaucratic and administrative simplification, the exact opposite of what I have heard during a number of hearings in the 8^th Senate's Commission, where a selection of economic operators intends to restrict recreational boating, in the hopes of gaining some advantage for collective transport activities," concluded Formenti.

The forecast analysis of the sector's performance carried out by the Italian Marine Industry Association's own Research Department on the basis of a survey conducted during the first week of December on a significant sample of member companies confirms the scenarios outlined in September during the presentation of the statistical report La Nautica in Cifre ("Boating in Figures"), which successfully predicted the early signs of recovery for the boating sector as early as during the autumn trade fairs, including the 65^th Genoa International Boat Show.

New models and a strong focus on the latest market demands and trends have triggered renewed confidence in the sector among small boat owners while also confirming the positive performance of the large yacht sector. The forecasts for the current nautical year, net of the well-known current critical issues affecting the international stage, thus appear to be encouraging for the Italian boating industry and its supply chain, with a more encouraging sentiment expressed by businesses, compared to a decline at the end of the 2025 calendar year for some product segments.

The future of the Italian recreational boating industry is part of a broader global picture, which is undergoing profound change. According to Prof. Gabriele Natalizia, Chair of Political Science and International Security, who opened the proceedings with an analysis of US strategies, the current trajectory of the United States' administration is fully in line with the policies initiated in 2009 and pursued through several administrations, with objectives that include burden sharing, reduction of non-vital commitments and reorientation towards the Indo-Pacific. "This is a trend that is set to continue in the long term, because it is instrumental to economic and military competitiveness with China and, as a result, businesses and supply chains are called upon to undergo structural changes that cannot be attributed to a short-term contingency".

The opening up of new markets must therefore be accompanied by a revival of the competitiveness of the Italian flag, a revival that must be closely linked to support for the domestic market, which, according to data from the Association's Research Department for boats measuring up to 24 metres, will close in a state of contraction for 54% of companies. Competitiveness is a shared approach, which unites the Italian Associations of the Marine Industry, Boatowners and Shipbuilding (Confindustria Nautica, Confitarma, Assonave, respectively) and, more generally, Confindustria's Technical Group on the Marine Economy, which President Formenti thanked in his members report for the productive discussion and agreement on objectives. The DDL Valorizzazione mare ("Sea Enhancement Bill"), coordinated by Minister Musumeci and tabled in the Senate, contains approximately twenty highly appreciated regulations for the sector, focused on regulatory simplification in order to align Italy with other European countries.

The day of the event kicked off with institutional greetings from the Vice President of the Senate of the Italian Republic, Licia Ronzulli.

"To speak of boating is to speak of Italy," stated Senator Ronzulli. "Boating is a clear reflection of Italian talent: creativity, technological innovation and industrial courage. Its international vocation tells us that boating is no longer simply a production-related factor, it is a strategic lever for national competitiveness. With regards to regulatory simplification, the role of institutions is to create the necessary conditions for businesses to thrive, expressing their full potential. Clear rules are needed to compete on a level playing field across international markets. Regulations for a sector such as chartering, for example, which is crucial for our coastal and tourism-based economy, measures that guarantee fairness, real competition, administrative certainty. The draft law on the enhancement of marine resources, the result of Minister Musumeci's commitment and an important step towards further strengthening a sector that already represents a global surplus and generates value, jobs and innovation, also goes in this direction. The state must be there not to direct, but to accompany, to support, to enhance, because supporting the boating sector means believing in the future of this country".

Chief Inspector (CP) Sergio Liardo, Commander-in-Chief of the Port Authorities - Italian Coast Guard: "The Port Authority certainly carries out operational tasks, but we also have specific administrative tasks, and we work very closely with all the associations involved. I would therefore like to thank Confindustria Nautica for the opportunity to attend this event, which is certainly a chance to gain important insights. We have one key characteristic: we act as a catalyst when it comes to a variety of requests that then have to be conveyed with a certain degree of urgency, especially when it comes to the economy."

The Italian Minister for Business and Made in Italy Production, Adolfo Urso, greeted the audience with a video message in which he recalled: "The boating sector is a pillar of excellence for Italian manufacturing worldwide, which is strongly affected by global market trends. After reaching a record value of £35 billion in 2023, it stabilised last year, in 2024, and is currently facing all the unknowns and uncertainties linked to the United States' tariffs. As a government, we are committed to supporting the growth and competitiveness of your businesses through incentives for digitalisation and energy efficiency, as we did with the Transition 5.0 plan and as we will continue to do, in full continuity from 1^st January next year, with the new Transition 5.0 plan, which will be immediately operational, this time through the mandatory instrument of hyper-amortisation."

Edoardo Rixi, Italian Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport: "The boating sector is in exceptionally good health. The market is evolving, and this clearly means sailing into slightly stormier seas, but seas that offer great opportunities. These are market sectors that need to be occupied because, if we don't occupy them, someone else will. As far as the Italian sector is concerned, one of the issues is the number of applicable laws; therefore, we need to simplify and avoid the proliferation of legislation, which has unfortunately become a distinguishing feature of the European continent. I will be happy to convey a delegation from Confindustria Nautica to the Minister of Economics to discuss all the measures needed in order to support such a strategic sector such as recreational boating."

This was followed by a number of speeches by:

Salvatore Deidda, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies' Transport Committee: "It is essential that Italy adopts domestic and European policies that favour its industries, improve infrastructure and adapt to new global dynamics, overcoming bureaucratic rigidity and misperceptions, in order to transform challenges into opportunities and support national competitiveness."

With regards to the Genoa International Boat Show, Deidda also emphasised how the event fully embodies the excellence that is the Italian boating industry and the organisational capacity of the Association. "It is necessary to improve connections with Genoa (rail, air, intercontinental) to make it more competitive compared to other less prestigious but more accessible industry events. We must create a national system and open up to a variety of complementary offers that see charters alongside passenger transport."

Alberto Luigi Gusmeroli, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce's Productive Activities Committee: "Our priority must be to protect Italian industrial excellence, with a particular focus on the boating and automotive sectors, which are currently exposed to growing challenges linked to global competition, restrictive European policies and general economic factors. I believe it is necessary for Italy to adopt effective protective measures, including the introduction of targeted tariffs, to defend high-quality industrial sectors from external threats and inadequate political decisions. Despite the already complex context."

Gerolamo Cangiano, President of the Parliamentary Intergroup dedicated to "Boating, Diving and Tourism": "In recent years, a solid and constructive dialogue has been re-established between the institutions and the Italian Marine Industry Association Confindustria Nautica, and this government is confidently pursuing a series of initiatives to support the sector. These entrepreneurs have always demonstrated extraordinary skills, moving forward on their own and affirming, even at an international level, the strength and beauty of this sector.

Today, the institutions are working to support this commitment, aware of the strategic role that boating plays for the country as a whole. Numerous measures have been launched in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies - from parliamentary initiatives to bills aimed at ports and widespread nautical hotels - all of which demonstrate a clear desire to build something important together. At this historic moment, the government feels it has a duty to continue to support this sector and accompany its growth."

Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, also met with the members of the Confindustria Nautica General Council yesterday evening at Palazzo Colonna.

The Confindustria Nautica Members' Assembly, convened in its private session, also approved the 2026 Budget. "The 2026 Budget, as approved by the Members' Assembly, is a fundamental tool for governance, assessment and representation of the strategy implemented by the Association to pursue its statutory objectives of developing and consolidating the position of the Italian recreational boating industry," commented Marina Stella, General Manager of the Italian Marine Industry Association. "The strategic action plan for 2026 was presented alongside the preliminary 2025 financial statements, which show a solid capital structure, a strengthening of the Association's economic and financial position, and positive performance in terms of membership growth, confirming the Association's ability to generate value through the quality of its representation activities and the effectiveness of the projects carried out in support of the sector."

During the Assembly, the main results achieved by Confindustria Nautica in 2025 were highlighted:

• Partnership with America's Cup Events and initiatives for maritime culture and water sports.
• Internationalisation Plan coordinated in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and ICE Agency
• Rationalisation and strengthening of the Genoa International Boat Show, taking place from 1^st to 6^th October 2026, as a business platform and expression of product identity
• Protocols and synergies within the General Confederation of Italian Industry and with other representatives/associations.
• Achievement of Infrastructure and Transport Ministry decrees defining the examination programme for the D1 boat licence and Motorisation Circulars clarifying their implementation
• The Infrastructure and Transport Ministry Circular on new safety equipment
• The decree recognising Confindustria Nautica and its associate ISYBA as providers of training courses for recreational boat brokers
• The Infrastructure and Transport Ministry Circular on the title "Class II Recreational Craft Officer", which allowed the relative exams to begin
• The extension until after the Genoa International Boat Show of the scrapping of engines initiative to promote electric alternatives
• The Infrastructure and Transport Ministry and Tourism Ministry's Circular on charter and rental contracts

Customs Circular n. 8/2025 with clarifications on the application of procedures relating to temporary admission and foreign on-board equipment intended for private units.