Export of ships and boats, Malta thriving market

Between 2023 and 2024, the North-West regions record a significant drop in exports, amounting to 7.9%, showing a much more severe contraction than the -0.3% for Italy as a whole. Net of this, it is necessary to distinguish the different regional performances within the breakdown. While Piedmont and Liguria are distinguished by a significant drop in exports, -5.4% and -24.1% respectively, Valle d'Aosta records a growth of 11%, the highest in Italy after Calabria (12.3%).

Overall, sales of the areas analysed to foreign countries fell from EUR 75.4 to 69.4 billion, a drop of EUR 5.9 billion, attributable to the sharp decline in Piedmont (-EUR 3.4 billion) and Liguria (-EUR 2.5 billion). Liguria's performance was strongly affected by the contraction in exports of ships and boats (-1.8 billion; -64.8%), particularly to the United States (-89%). The drop in Piedmont, on the other hand, can be attributed to the reduction in sales of motor vehicles (-€2.8 billion; -34.1%), following the marked drop in sales to both Germany (-53%) and France (-32%). At provincial level, Genoa is the third province in Italy to have recorded the most significant reduction in the value of exports (-37.7%), behind Potenza (-48.8%) and Ascoli Piceno (-62.3%).

As far as outlet markets are concerned, France is the main trade partner of the companies in the territories surveyed (14.9% of the total). Towards France, however, the North-West registers a drop in exports of 5.8%, caused by Liguria 7.0% and Piedmont (-5.9%) despite the good performance of Valle d'Aosta, which registers an increase of 9.8%. On the other hand, at product level, general-purpose machinery is stagnating in exports from the North-West (-0.03%), although there are differences at regional level. In fact, Valle d'Aosta saw its exports increase by +37.6% compared to 2023, as did Liguria (+23.0%). On the other hand, Piedmont's exports of general purpose machinery are down (-2.2%).

Among the strongest markets is Malta, to which exports increased by 62.0% compared to 2023, against 11.9% at national level. This dynamic can be attributed first and foremost to exports of ships and boats, which grew by €73 million (+86%). In addition, although more modest, the growth in North-West exports of 'other food products' of +12.0% appears interesting, in line with the national figure (+11.0%). Once again, it is Valle d'Aosta that records the best performance compared to 2023, with a growth of 36.1%, followed by Piedmont, which instead records +12.9%, while there is a drop in Liguria (-5.8%).