The infrastructural development of a country affects the potential for economic growth, productive competitiveness and community well-being. Italy, despite its high propensity for international trade, is lagging behind its main international competitors. In the last 5 years the value of goods sold abroad increased by 43%, but if not for delays in infrastructure development, this figure would have been much higher.
A less than reassuring picture for Italy
THEcompetitiveness index elaborated by World Economic Forum outlines a less than reassuring picture for Italy, in 30th place with a marked gap compared to its main global competitors. Focusing attention on the transport and logistics system Italy is 17th for infrastructure competitiveness. The worst performances are recorded in maritime transport.
Among the sectors most affected is that agri-food, for which logistics is crucial. Against a record value of 60,7 billion exports in 2022, the loss was 9 billion. Things went worse for textiles and clothing (9,1 billion), chemical products (16,8 billion) and machinery and mechanical appliances (23,1 billion).
Italy is among the European countries that resort most intensely to road transport, with a significant incidence of 87% of the goods handled. This is higher than the EU average (77%). The high intensity of road transport does not correspond to pre-eminence in terms of quality of road infrastructure. And the numbers are destined to get worse with the closure of the Mont Blanc tunnel for extraordinary maintenance, where just under 10 million tonnes of goods pass through every year.
In the national logistics system the goods moved by trains they are just 13% of the total, compared to a European average of 17%. Only France (10%), the Netherlands (6%) and Spain (4%) do worse.
A territorial dichotomy weighs on Italy
Furthermore, the territorial dichotomy weighs on the performance of our country. The regions central-northern they can count on faster road and rail connections, as well as greater access to the main airports and ports. The regions of South and the islands, however, are in a disadvantaged situation, except for the areas of the Tyrrhenian coast. Double tracks are present in only 46% of the routes, while 75% of the railway lines in the north and 58% in the south are electrified.
The repercussions are heavy especially in periods like the current one, in which the seamless transition from the pandemic to war has led to a marked increase in costs energy, fuel and logistics.
Here then is the closure to the circulation of Mont Blanc tunnel increases risks and uncertainties. The main corridors, from Brenner al Frejus, move 166 million tons of goods, of which 66% by road and 34% by rail, but they are not enough to allow Italian competitiveness the leap forward that it desperately needs.
