Edoardo Bonatti
13 agosto 2018
The data released by Istat on 10 August confirm once again the international vocation of the Italian economy. With reference to the month of June 2018, the monthly figure sees exports increasing by a good 4.6 percentage points; the increase in imports is more limited, equal to +0.3%.
On a quarterly basis, flows have intensified in both directions (+2.5% of outgoing ones and +1.1% for incoming ones), but the best results can be seen by comparing these data with those of 2017. In fact, when compared to last year, the increase in exports amounted to 6.6%. The extra-EU area is the main contributor to this figure with a +8% – the same number recorded on a monthly basis this June – but a still significant increase was recorded by the EU market, +5.6%.
When looking at the trend in the first six months of 2018, the 3.7% increase was instead driven by the internal market of the European Union, both in terms of volumes and average unit values. During this period, exports (+4.6%) of food and beverages also recorded an important increase, further proving that “Made in Italy” in this area remains extremely competitive and coveted. As for the countries that have seen their share of exports coming from Italy increase compared to last year, there are Switzerland (+55.1%), the United States (+18.8%), France (+10.3%), Germany (+4.1%) and the Netherlands (+20.8%).
Excluding the automotive sector, the export of transport vehicles recorded a significant +47% on a monthly basis, while other particularly performing sectors were those in which the Italian system always stood out: metals and metal products, excluding machines and industrial facilities (+10.2%), pharmaceutical, chemical-medicinal and botanical products (+15.4%) and refined petroleum products (+20.1%).
The Italian economy and its productive system seem to stand up well to the pressures to which protectionist measures, increasingly in vogue among world governments, may subject them. The new visa program for non-EU investors strengthens the international vocation of the Italian system: this openness, not only to other markets but also to foreign capital, represents an opportunity both for national companies and for foreign entrepreneurs. For this reason, Investor Visa Italy selects the best and most innovative Italian industrial companies to submit them to any investor who intends to make Italy its new entry point for the European and world markets.
Source: Istat
