Brazil–Italy relations refers to the diplomatic relations between

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Both nations enjoy friendly and semi-privileged relations, the importance of which centres on the history of Italian migration to Brazil. Approximately 31 million Brazilians claimed to have Italian ancestry (approximately 15% of the population) making it the largest number of people with full or partial Italian ancestry outside Italy, with the Brazilian city of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

being the most populous city with Italian ancestry in the world. Both nations are mutual members of the

G20 major economies The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation ...

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

and the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...

History

In September 1822, Brazil declared its independence from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. In 1826, the Duchy of Parma recognized the independence of Brazil and in 1827, and ambassador from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies arrived to Brazil. In 1836, future Italian unifier Giuseppe Garibaldi went into exile in Brazil and assisted in the separatist movement for the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul. In 1861, Brazilian Emperor Pedro II recognized the Kingdom of Italy under King

Victor Emmanuel II Victor Emmanuel II ( it, Vittorio Emanuele II; full name: ''Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tommaso di Savoia''; 14 March 1820 – 9 January 1878) was King of Sardinia from 1849 until 17 March 1861, when he assumed the title o ...

. In November 1861, Italy opened a diplomatic mission in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. In October 1871, Emperor Pedro II travelled to Italy as part of his European tour. Italian migration to Brazil began in 1875 when Brazil began to promote migration to the country in order to increase its population and therefore created 'colonies' mostly in rural areas for Italians and other Europeans to migrate to.The Italian Culture in Sao Paulo
/ref> Between 1880 and 1920, more than one million Italians immigrated to Brazil. In 1924, Italian Prince of Piedmont (future King

Umberto II en, Albert Nicholas Thomas John Maria of Savoy , house = Savoy , father = Victor Emmanuel III of Italy , mother = Princess Elena of Montenegro , birth_date = , birth_place = Racconigi, Piedmont, Kingdom of Italy , d ...

) visited the city of Salvador, Bahia as Rio de Janeiro (the Brazilian capital at the time) was considered unsafe for the Prince and São Paulo was temporary taken over by rebels.Umberto II, re d'Italia (King of Italy)
/ref> The Prince's main visit to Brazil (and other South American nations) was part of a political plan of

fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

to link the Italian people living outside Italy with their mother country. Massarosaw

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Brazil declared war on the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...

after the sinking and capturing of several Brazilian merchant ships and was the only

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

nation to actively be involved in the war by sending eight war ships to Europe and 100 paramedics to France. At the end of the war, both Brazil and Italy partook in the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

. At the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in September 1939; Brazil remained neutral, however, German submarines (

U-boats U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare rol ...

) sank six Brazilian ships in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and Brazil declared war on

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and Italy on 22 August 1942. During the war, Brazil sent an Expeditionary Force consisting of 23,000 soldiers which partook in the Italian Campaign. The Brazilian forces mainly fought within

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

and

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

regions. In 1944, Brazil restored full diplomatic relations with Italy. Since the end of the world wars, both Brazil and Italy have strengthen their relations by agreeing to several bilateral accords such as an Agreement on Migration (1977); Agreement to avoid Double Taxation (1979); Extradition Treaty (1989); Treaty on Legal Cooperation in Criminal Matters (1993); Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (1997), among others. Both nations are active players in international organizations and leaders of both nations have paid official visits to each other nations, respectively, on numerous occasions.

High-level visits

High-level visits from Brazil to Italy * President

Fernando Collor de Mello Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello (; born 12 August 1949) is a Brazilian politician who served as the 32nd president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992, when he resigned in a failed attempt to stop his impeachment trial by the Brazilian Senate. Collor ...

(1990) * President

Fernando Henrique Cardoso Fernando Henrique Cardoso (; born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC (), is a Brazilian sociologist, professor and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2002. He was the first Brazi ...

(1997) * President

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party ...

(2005, 2009) * President

Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil, holding the position from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the first ...

(2013, 2015) * President Jair Bolsonaro (2021) High-level visits from Italy to Brazil * President Giuseppe Saragat (1965) * President

Oscar Luigi Scalfaro Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (; 9 September 1918 – 29 January 2012) was the president of Italy from 1992 to 1999. A member of Christian Democracy (DC), he became an independent politician after the DC's dissolution in 1992, and was close to the centr ...

(1995) * President

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician and banker who was the prime minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994 and the president of Italy from 1999 to 2006. Biography Education Ciampi was born i ...

(2000) * Prime Minister

Romano Prodi Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Pr ...

(2006, 2007) * Prime Minister

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies f ...

(2009, 2010) * Prime Minister

Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi (; born 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician who served as prime minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. He has been a senator for Florence since 2018. Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva (IV) since 2019, having bee ...

(2016)

Trade

In 2015, total trade between Brazil and Italy totaled US$7.4 billion. Italy is one of Brazil's top ten largest global trusted trading partners. In 2013, Italian investments in Brazil totaled US$17.9 billion. Italian car makers such as Ferrari, Fiat and Lamborghini have a presence in Brazil, as well as

Italian fashion Italy is one of the leading countries in fashion design, alongside France, the United States and the United Kingdom. Fashion has always been an important part of the country's cultural life and society, and Italians are well known for their atte ...

and food products. Brazilian companies such as Embraer and agricultural companies operate in Italy. In 2000, member nations of

Mercosur The Southern Common Market, commonly known by Spanish abbreviation Mercosur, and Portuguese Mercosul, is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full members are Arge ...

(which includes Brazil) and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

(which includes Italy) began negotiations on a

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...

agreement.

Transportation

There are direct flights between Brazil and Italy with the following airlines:

Alitalia Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana S.p.A., operating as Alitalia (), was an Italian airline which was once the flag carrier and largest airline of Italy. The company had its head office in Fiumicino, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital. The ai ...

and LATAM Brasil .

Bilateral agreements

At institutional level, bilateral relations follow the lines of the "Strategic partnership, Strategic Partnership" action plan signed in 2010 and the guidelines established by the Italian-Brazilian Cooperation Council, which was held to examine the progress and challenges of bilateral collaboration in different fields of activities (political, economic and commercial relations, scientific and cultural projects, academic exchanges, industrial cooperation and defence).

Cultural relations

ranked 11th out of 119 countries by number of students of Italian language. The total amount is of 40,455 students of Italian descent in Brazil (60% of whom, precisely 25,276, are supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the contributions paid for lectorship, and courses). The number of Brazilian students involved in language learning is increasing, so much so that many teachers themselves have confirmed the existence of a large number of students on the waiting list who cannot access the courses they hold. From 2013 to 2015, about 4,000 Brazilian students traveled abroad to Italy. In Brazil, there is a large and qualified presence of Italian researchers and teachers active in the Brazilian academic system. Over 800 bilateral agreements signed in recent years by Italian and Brazilian universities and research institutions have consolidated bi-directional academic mobility.

Economic relations

Italy is now among the first investors in Brazil and is one of the major trading partners of the South America, South American countries. Italian exports to

are mainly concentrated in the sectors of industrial machinery and electrical equipment, chemicals, vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers and pharmaceuticals. In the Italian demand for Brazilian products, raw materials and products such as paper and cellulose, metals, coffee and soya are prevalent. Many Italian companies invest in Brazil with a medium-long term vision looking for the opportunities of this large market. The consequence was the development of a strong Italian entrepreneurial fabric in Brazil. According to data published by the Brazilian Ministry of the Economy (Brazil), Ministry of Economy, since 2018 Italy has been the main investor among the signatory countries of the Memorandum of understanding, Memorandum of Understanding on Investment facilitation. About 1,000 Italian companies currently operate in Brazil and some of them play a leading role in strategic sectors of the economy, such as energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, steel and automotive.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Brazil has an embassy in Rome and a consulate-general in Milan. * Italy has an embassy in Brasília, consulates-general in Curitiba, Porto Alegre,

, and consulates in Belo Horizonte and in Recife.Consulate of Italy in Recife
/ref> File:Roma 2011 08 07 Ambasciata del Brasile in Italia.jpg, Embassy of Brazil in Rome File:Ambasciata d’Italia Brasilia 2015.jpg, Embassy of Italy in Brasília File:Consulado Geral da Itália, Porto Alegre.JPG, Consulate-General of Italy in Porto Alegre File:Consolatoitalianosanpaolo.jpg, Consulate-General of Italy in São Paulo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brazil-Italy relations Brazil–Italy relations, Bilateral relations of Brazil, Italy Bilateral relations of Italy