Italy: January-September 2009 sectoral statistics

As a confirmation of the serious crisis involving the plastics and rubber machinery field, and throughout the Italian industry, according to the latest statistical data released by ISTAT for the period January-September 2009, export decreased by 27.4% and import by 22.2%. The results of the third quarter 2009, compared with those of the two previous years, are remarkably different. The sectoral Italian export, after having increased significantly (19.9%) in January-September 2007 on 2006, fell by 8.2% in 2008/2007, with a yearly average decrease of 7.2% in the surveyed period. Similarly, import reduced by 1.4% before and 4.5% thereafter, leading to an annual average of 10%. According to those trends, the persistent high trade balance surplus in the sector has fallen below one billion euro, nearly 1.4 billion in 2008 (-29%) and just over 1.5 billion by September 2007 (when it was instead increased by more than 28% on 2007).