Apple plans to open a product development unit in Naples which Italian PM Matteo Renzi said “will bring about 600 jobs”.
Naples is characterised by high levels of unemployment and poverty.
The announcement on Thursday comes only weeks after the US company finally agreed to pay €318 million in tax to the Italian treasury.
The new iOS App Development Centre will be Apple’s first venture in Europe for app development. It will be a place for training people who want to become Apple app developers.
CEO Tim Cook said in a statement: “Europe is home to some of the most creative developers in the world and we’re thrilled to be helping the next generation of entrepreneurs in Italy get the skills they need for success.”
The tax payment Apple agreed was the full amount demanded by Italy concerning tax years 2008 and 2013, but came only after an investigation discovered that Apple Italia was acting as a “consultant” for Apple Ireland, which allowed it to transfer its huge profits to Ireland where the corporation tax rate is one of the lowest in the EU.
Apple is very high up on the list of the richest company in the world.
