European and Italian leaders will once again meet in New York for the Italian Business & Investment Initiative's Fourth Business Summit in a rendezvous with American counterparts to discuss central growth and investment opportunities. Organized by the Italian Business & Investment Initiative, in collaboration with EY (Ernst & Young), this year's edition will take place at Time Warner Center (North Tower) and is moderated by CNBC Chief International Correspondent Michelle Caruso Cabrera, by Bloomberg TV Chief Markets Correspondent Scarlet Fu and CBS-Bloomberg Business Reports anchor Joe Connolly.

The 2016 Business Summit will be divided in four sessions with panel discussions on:

Geopolitics and the role of Italy in the Mediterranean Anticipating and avoiding a Black Swan
Reforms in Italy: Economies across the world have settled into a pattern of slow, sometimes meager, growth. How can Italy contribute? Reinventing the state to achieve influence and relevance?

The unknown about Italy: from hi-tech to robotics, from pharma to renewables, Italy boasts many high-potential companies that are interesting from an investors perspective and, on the other hand, ready to enter the US market

CEOs of big corporations: the complexity of global business today requires artful collaboration toward a common goal. Against the odds, Italy proposes a systemic approach

Before the second panel, Donato Iacovone (Mediterranean Managing Partner of EY) will present a report by EY, in collaboration with Bocconi University, Invitalia and Sace. This report shows the Italian economic situation, as well as the state of the country's institutional reforms, exports, internationalization process and digital revolution. The presentation also includes the views of Italian entrepreneurs and top managers on the above subjects.

Fernando Napolitano, President of the Italian Business & Investment Initiative explains, "Our goal with this year's Summit is threefold: 1. Within the new geopolitical Mediterranean and Middle Eastern landscape, Italy has become more strategic as it had been historically. 2. It is implementing far-reaching reforms to become increasingly business friendly. 3. The Influence, Relevance and Growth strategy is led by a distinguished group of Italian CEOs who, coherently with their corporate social responsibility, are positioning Italy at its best within the New York business community by showcasing Italian leadership in technologies that establish our future in categories as energy, pharma, digital and advanced engineering.

We are proud to join forces with EY for the fourth annual summit. EY has demonstrated leadership and commitment to this Italian investment platform. As in previous years, we are joined again by Invitalia and Sace and together we will distribute a document assessing the Italian economic situation, challenges and appeal for US investments. We wish to acknowledge our sponsors that have supported this IV edition[1]"

Donato Iacovone, Mediterranean Managing Partner of EY, adds: "In the current market, cross-border transactions and foreign investments in Italy are synonymous with growth and renewed competitiveness for businesses. For investors they represent a unique economic opportunity for quality and future vision in the global landscape. Italy is, in fact, the third largest economy in Europe and number eight in the world and has a domestic consumer market of 60 million people. Italy also offers a privileged means of access to the rest of Europe and to the Middle East. These factors, combined with the simplification of bureaucracy and investments in key infrastructures being undertaken by the Italian Government, help to make Italy a highly attractive country. At this stage in the global economic recovery, it is important to seize this opportunity now, while also turning our gaze to those sectors, such as culture and new technologies, which have just recently opened themselves up more to the international markets. With this summit, which I once again have the pleasure to participate in, we want to highlight the advantages and opportunities that our country can offer."

This year's speakers are:
Domenico Arcuri (Invitalia), Ian Bremmer (Eurasia Group), Mariafrancesca Carli (BDT & Company), Stefano Caselli (Bocconi University), Alessandro Castellano (SACE), Marta Dassù (The Aspen Institute), Luigi de Vecchi (CITI), Matteo Del Fante (Terna), Camillo Greco (J.P. Morgan), Jimmy Hallac (Leucadia), Donato Iacovone (EY), Maximo Ibarra (Wind), Luigi Lazzareschi (Sofidel), William E. Mayer (The Aspen Institute), Roberto Napoletano (Il Sole 24 Ore), Guido Nola (J.P. Morgan), Luca Pani (AIFA), Haresh Patel (Mercatus), Ambassador Philip T. Reeker (US Consul General, Milan), Stefano Sala (Publitalia '80), Dominik Salvatore (Fordham University), Massimo Scaccabarozzi (Farmindustria), Francesco Starace (Enel) and Eric Stein (J.P. Morgan).

The summit is an annual meeting between the leading Italian and Europeans and their American counterparts who meet directly with representatives of government and business, as well as the international community of investors, on the central issues of the growth of Europe and Italy for the future.