There’s a side to Italy that’s passionate and esteemed all over the world, that produces riches using the formula for quality and innovation. It’s an Italy we should be proud of, but that not everyone is familiar with. The I.T.A.L.I.A. report 2017 – Geography of the new Made in Italy, compiled by the Fondazione Symbola, Unioncamere and Marco Fortis’ Fondazione Edison, which was presented today in Treia at the opening of the 15th Summer Seminar of Symbola, was put together to showcase this side of the country. This year the report is in its third edition, and is sponsored by the Ministries for Foreign Affairs, Economic Development, Agricultural Policies, Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, and the Environment, and takes us through the many talents and high-quality products that Italy has to offer.
Leafing through the report, we can see that Italy is capable of being innovative, versatile, responsive, competitive and successful. Above all on the global markets. So much so that during the 2014-2016 three-year period, our exports grew by €26.7 billion, the second best performance in absolute terms between the 4 biggest countries in the Eurozone after Germany, resulting in a new record surplus for our country’s trade balance with the rest of the world in 2016: €51 billion. Our manufacturing trade surplus also hit record levels. Indeed, Italy has the fifth biggest manufacturing trade surplus in the world – with €90.5 billion in 2016 – behind China, Germany, South Korea and Japan. This performance was made possible by thousands of medium-big, medium and small-sized companies that allow us to compete on global markets by being flexible, active in several different sectors and by operating with almost tailor-made methods. The winning contributing factors to the Made in Italy brand are creativity, innovation, design, diversification and an aptitude for making almost tailor-made goods for clients, including in hi-tech sectors like mechanics or means of transport. This is also why Italy has 844 products with record-breaking active trade balances with foreign countries. A substantial result, made possible by a clear choice of quality. The report is opened by a survey carried out by Ipsos on the image and appeal of Italy in 19 states, including Italy. The analysis highlights that globally, our country is still one of the most esteemed in the world, capable of instilling a sense of collective belonging. We rank first in the list of most desired holiday destinations, and Italy was the third most known country among those surveyed, after the United States and the United Kingdom. Our country is well-known for a number of reasons: for its vast cultural and architectural heritage, for its pool of skills, creativity and distinctiveness in fashion, and for its much-loved food and wine. But it’s also well-known for its openness, tolerance and care for the environment. Although Italians hold a much dimmer view of Italy than foreigners do.
Moreover, as Edison, a person who understood the challenges, writes, “if we knew what we are capable of, it would blow us away.”
READ the I.T.A.L.I.A. Report 2017 – Geography of the new Made in Italy