Exports, North-West regions lose 5 billion in 2024

The year 2024 cost the North-West 5 billion less in exports than the year before. The reduction in exports from Piedmont (-4.9%) and Liguria (-24.1%) weighed heavily, while Valle d'Aosta recorded an increase of 11.1%. The first figures for 2025 do not seem able to indicate a change in direction, as the latest ISTAT (national) survey shows a tendential increase of 3.2% in the first quarter of the year, to which, however, sectors such as pharmaceuticals (+41.9%), means of transport, excluding motor vehicles (+21.2%), basic metals, excluding machinery and plants (+5.8%) and food products (+5.5%) contribute most. And in this context Piedmont, for example, recorded a drop of 3.5%.

Against the backdrop of a 0.4% contraction in Italian exports last year, Piedmont and Liguria did worse than average. The weakness of the automotive sector, in particular, penalised the subalpine region, which saw its foreign exports fall from 63.6 billion to 60.5 billion, while maintaining a positive trade balance of around 15 billion. A result that, in the face of double-digit growth in exports from Tuscany, caused Piedmont to slip from fourth to fifth position among Italian exporting regions.

"The analysis of recent data on Piedmont's trade highlights a performance that, while showing signs of resilience in key sectors, needs a strategic impulse for structural strengthening," highlights Unioncamere Piemonte president Gian Paolo Coscia. The theme is clear: in the face of unprecedented trade policies such as those promoted by the Trump administration, for example, and in relation to potential risks linked to the dependence of manufacturing on critical materials such as rare earths, it is crucial for companies to seek new markets and further strengthen ties with European supply chains.

"Regional exports, mainly driven by some of the traditional sectors such as food and rubber-plastics, reveal a solid production base. However, to increase competitiveness in global markets, it is imperative to accelerate diversification, both sectoral and geographical,' Coscia further explains. Another theme is that of innovation and the added value 'on board' of our manufactured products. "The transition towards higher added-value productions must be encouraged, strengthening innovative supply chains such as aerospace, biomedical and greentech. At the same time, it is crucial to support SMEs in accessing new emerging markets, reducing dependence on established destinations.

Targeted investments in digitalisation, sustainability of production processes, and advanced training become key levers'. Finally, a strengthening of synergies between the production system, the world of research, and regional institutions "appears indispensable to promote an integrated and technologically advanced offer, capable of meeting the challenges and opportunities of international demand," concludes the president of the Piedmontese Chamber system, which has seen the arrival of Massimiliano Cipolletta at the head of the Turin Chamber of Commerce.