The export of the districts gives signals encouraging: 2011 it was the second consecutive year of double-digit growth (+ 10,3 %). In the past year, exports have equaled the values of Germany and abundantly exceeded those of France.
I industrial districts are the real flagship of the Italian economy: the synergies conditions have allowed exports to return very close to pre-crisis levels. Despite this, in the last quarter of 2011, most of them suffered the consequences of the financial tensions: in fact, exports recorded a significant slowdown in growth (+4,8%).
This was not the case, however, for the agglomerations technological, which, although growing in 2011 (+ 6,7 %) less than in 2010 (+ 17,7 %), beat the other industrial poles in the sprint, closing the growing fourth quarter in hi-tech sectors.
The annual growth of the technological poles turned out to be lower in 2011 than that relating to the traditional districts, also because the latter had to recover a greater loss than the years 2009-2010.
In terms of economic value, the exports of the 142 districts stood at 77,5 billion (nearly 20% of GDP), showing particularly effervescent in Lombardy, Piedmont, Trentino Alto Adige and Tuscany. Umbria and Emilia were also brilliant, growing by 10%, while the southern districts closed the year on stable values compared to 2010. Exports to emerging markets they are growing faster (+12,5%) than traditional destinations (+9,2%). In first place by destination, Germany confirms itself as the country's main economic partner.
PHARMACEUTICAL
Pharmaceuticals have driven the sector, exporting a record figure of 9,3 billion euros in value. Exports from the Lazio region, for example, after a more than brilliant 2010 (+33,2%), continued to grow also in 2011 with a positive change of 9,8%, for a value of 4,7 billion euros, confirming itself as the first Italian hub in the sector. The Neapolitan district also did well in second position, growing by 18,6% also thanks to the intrafirm exchanges of the Swiss multinational Novartis. The Milan pole (+2,5%) and the Tuscan pole (+1,4%) did well.
ICT
ICT exports showed growth of 8.8% over 2010. The Turin district is first in the standings: it grew by 43.1%, thanks to sales on the German, Turkish, Spanish and US markets. Rome is also doing very well: +12,8%, while Catania (+12,2%) is driven by the efficient synergies triggered by the local presence of the Italian-French StMicroelectronics. Veneto is also running (+11,9%), supported by good results on all the main markets. The Milan pole grows less (4,9%), but is the first in Italy for export volumes. Excellent performances were recorded in Bologna and Modena on the Japanese and Chinese markets: respectively +37,7% and +21,1% in sales. The Trieste hub grew by 2,9%, driven by the French market. The only losing ICT poles are that of Genoa (-16,1%), penalized by the bad performance of the Russian market, and that of L'Aquila.
AERONAUTICS
It is a sector in weak but constant growth: +0,5%, driven by the Roman pole which grows by 71,1%, thanks to sales on the French and Kazakhstan markets. Puglia is on the rise (41,3%), which sells well in the USA, while the Turin pole grows slightly (+3,1%), which suffers from the slowdown in sales on the US market. Naples and Varese are down: -6,2% and -18,2% respectively.
BIOMEDICAL
The sector grew by 7,6%, driven by the good performance of the Padua pole (+13,7%) and Mirandola, which recovered from the 2010 decline, growing by 1%. Traditional markets remain relevant, but exports to emerging markets are also growing. The trend in the fourth quarter is striking, growing by 6,1% compared to 5,2% in the previous one, in contrast with the export trend of the whole country. The credit goes to the pharmaceutical industry, especially in the Tuscan-Lazio clusters, which however have seen an increase in the authorized CIGS hours, due to corporate reorganization and restructuring processes.
