Qatar represents a strategic market for Italian companies: it is a country that stands out not only for its high growth rates and per capita income, but also for its passion for Made in Italy products, which enjoy excellent reputation in Qatar. There is no shortage of opportunities to do business: the Qatari authorities are in fact engaged in the implementation of various projects, mostly infrastructural, for a transformation of the country, which aims at a general modernization, but also at increasing its influence at a regional and international level through the diversification of its economy. From this point of view, the opportunity to host the World Cup in 2022 represents an opportunity for the country to get noticed worldwide, an opportunity that Qatar has shown that it wants to take full advantage of: in fact, the allocation of around 185 billion dollars over the next ten years for the realization of a series of innovative projects aimed at transforming the face of Qatar as a state-of-the-art country. These and other infrastructure projects are also part of the national development strategy envisaged by Qatar's National Development Strategy 2011-2016 (NDS), planning aimed at achieving the objectives set out in the long-term plan for the country, the Qatar Vision 2030. Among these projects , in addition to the La Perla site and the Lusail residential complex, the construction of the new commercial port, the international airport, the railway network and the Friendship Causeway, the very long bridge that will link Qatar to Bahrain, stand out in terms of importance.
Although the oil and gas sector still weighs 60% of Qatar's GDP, the efforts made by the Qatari government to accelerate the development of non-export oriented sectors, especially those relating to education and training, financial services , welfare, tourism and sport. Among the major projects in the pipeline in these new areas, mention should be made of the Science and Technology Park, the Sidra Medicine and Research Center and the establishment of an Education City, aimed at guaranteeing high levels of education and training within the country. These numerous projects, together with the country's continued economic growth, its political stability (the turbulence that has affected the Middle East in the last year has had no impact in Qatar), as well as the particularly favorable tax regime, ensure an ideal context for foreign investors intending to develop their business in Qatar, which moreover is characterized as a largely favorable country towards foreign investments, encouraging incoming flows through the use of numerous incentives. The attachment contains an in-depth study on the Qatari economy, business opportunities and local legislation.
Attachments: FIRST_Qatar a small country with great opportunities.pdf
