Italian businessman involved in the Unimpresa association analyze on Friday the situation of the Romanian - Italian mutual relations, The discussion will be attended to by the Italian ambassador in Bucharest, Daniele Mancini, and the Romanian Foreign Ministry state secretary, Iulian Buga.

The discussions come in the context of the increasing political tensions between the two countries, caused by the general hostility of Italians towards Romanian immigrants. Even more, the Italian Senate approved on Thursday the law draft on expelling EU citizens considered as a threat to public safety.

Officially, the Italian investors say that the colder political relations between the two countries don't affect their businesses. Unofficially, quite a few fear reprisals in Romania.

Italians own some 23,000 companies in Romania, employing some 600,000 Romanians, acting mostly in real estate, light industry, construction materials, as well as food and agriculture.

According to the statistics at the Italian Commerce Institute, Italians invested in Romania some 772 million Euro until the beginning of October, representing 4.7% of all foreign investments in Romania.