A century of the ICE Agency: how Italy became an export powerhouse

In 1926, when the ICE Agency was taking its first steps as the National Institute for Exports, exports accounted for 12 per cent of GDP. By 2025, this figure had almost tripled, standing at 32.2 per cent. The marked growth in this percentage figure is a statistical fact that speaks volumes. It tells the story of a country that, over the course of a hundred years, has transformed itself into a manufacturing powerhouse, and of an economy that has become structurally open, adapting to profound changes. At the same time, it tells the story of a government body established at a time when exports were essentially a logistical matter: the challenge was to help businesses expand beyond national borders. Over the decades, the ICE Agency has successfully guided the manufacturing sector through epoch-making changes and, now that the international expansion of Italian businesses is a well-established fact, it supports companies that are already well-versed in exporting at various levels.

The ICE Agency’s Analysis and Research Department describes the National Institute for Exports in its early days as follows: “The first tools made available by the Institute – market information, the organisation of exhibitions and trade fairs, and the certification of goods – paint a picture of a country very different from today’s. The turning point came in the post-war period, as Italia became increasingly integrated into the international economy and trade was liberalised, when the Institute expanded its network and opened new permanent offices abroad”.

There is one instance that is much more than just an anecdote; it illustrates how the Institute was able to anticipate key trends: its Beijing office was opened before diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China had been established. This was the very period, between 1953 and 1973, when exports became one of the driving forces behind the Italian economic miracle. Industry grew, and public support was stepped up: market research, initiatives in the retail sector, over a hundred trade fair participations a year, with a growing focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.

In 2011, ICE became the Agency for the Overseas Promotion and Internationalisation of Italian Businesses. Its scope of action has broadened and become more refined: from trade fair promotion and commercial information, it has expanded to include personalised support, training, digital services, e-commerce, start-ups and, since 2017, the attraction of foreign investment. “Since 2020,” notes the Analysis and Research Office, “coordination with the MAECI’s diplomatic and consular network has become closer, within a public system in which multiple actors operate and the ability to support businesses requires increasingly coordinated tools.”

Italian exports have historically been driven by specialised sectors such as machinery and metalworking, alongside sectors such as textiles and clothing and furniture, which have given ‘Made in Italy’ its distinctive character. “Since the 1990s,” according to the Analysis and Research Office, “increased competition from emerging economies has led to a decline in some traditional sectors, whilst the pharmaceuticals, agri-food and beverages, metal products, precision instruments and machinery sectors have gained ground. Today, the mechanical engineering sector alone accounts for around 16 per cent of exports, whilst the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage sectors are among the most dynamic.”