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TDT | Manama

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Bahrain and Italy seal data and freight deals in 2025

Data sovereignty and seato-air freight deals in 2025 deepen Bahrain– Italy co-operation, with Rome keeping sovereignty over data in Bahraini centres and Italy named a freight partner; non-oil trade reached about $775m in 2024 and more than 130 Italian firms now operate in the Kingdom.

The two steps follow months of high-level contact.

In January 2025, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Manama, where the sides announced advanced logistics partnerships and set out plans for closer digital links.

In April, a Bahraini mission led by the Minister of Finance and National Economy visited Rome, Parma and Milan to meet public and private bodies, promote trade and investment, and set out openings in finance, ICT, industry, logistics and tourism.

A standing channel for follow-up has been in place since 2021, when the Bahrain–Italy Joint Committee was formed; it first met in Rome in 2023 to a three-year plan.

Visit

Earlier, momentum included the 2020 visit by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, after which the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) opened its Manama office and agreements worth more than €330m were signed.

The legal base has been built over two decades.

The 2006 Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments, once ratified, gave Bahraini and Italian investors reciprocal guarantees.

Maritime trade was eased by the 2009 Agreement on Equality of Treatment in Berthing and Port Dues, placing visiting vessels on a par with national ships.

Agreement

At the turn of the millennium, an agreement on mutual tax exemption for air and sea transport aimed to spur flights and shipping while avoiding double taxation.

Institutional links widened in parallel.

A 2006 memorandum between the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Union of Italian Chambers of Commerce provided for exchanges of information and delegations.

Memorandum

In 2017, the Economic Development Board signed a memorandum with Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo to build partnerships in logistics, fintech and tourism.

In 2025, a customs memorandum with the Italian Customs Authority added exchanges of expertise and updates to procedures using modern technologies.

Together, the 2025 measures, the joint committee and the treaty framework sit behind a trade relationship that spans industry, energy, services and advanced technologies, with Bahrain positioned as a regional link for cargo that connects sea and air routes.