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le più esposte alle turbolenze del ciclo
economico, di recuperare quote di ex-
port in Europa e nell’area Mediterranea
e di potenziarne l’azione nei Paesi con
ulteriori prospettive di crescita. A bene-
ficiarne sono state e saranno micro, pic-
cole e medie imprese, start-up, parchi
universitari e tecnologici, consorzi e reti
di impresa che possono contare su una
serie di servizi a carattere formativo, e
su un programma di iniziative promo-
zionali focalizzate sui comparti conside-
rati prioritari: agro-alimentare, moda,
mobilità, arredo e costruzioni, alta tec-
Michele Scannavini, president of ICE,
the agency for the foreign promotion and
internationalization of Italian businesses,
has no doubts: if Made in Italy were a
brand, it would be the third-largest in
the world. “Certainly, the small average
size of our companies constitutes a limit
to our exports, especially compared
to other major European countries”,
says Scannavini. “At the trade fairs we
attend, in Italy and abroad, as well as
at the systemmissions, we’re seeing a
growing participation of companies. A
sign that showing up in large numbers
doesn’t limit commercial opportunities
but, on the contrary, increases them.The
challenge today, if anything, is to fully
exploit the opportunities offered by new
promotional channels like the Internet,
for whichmost of our smaller businesses
are unprepared. In this case it is essential
to create the conditions for federations
of small businesses, which by themselves
may not have access to these channels for
reasons of complexity and cost”.The south
of Italy accounts for only 10%of total
Italian exports, but with the Southern
Export Plan, ICE has adopted a tool to
allow businesses from the four regions
(Apulia, Calabria, Campania, Sicily) to
recover export shares in Europe and the
Mediterranean area and to strengthen
their presence in countries with further
growth prospects. “Internationalization
is the most dynamic factor of global
development”, explains the ICE president.
“The latest Prometeia report on the
evolution of foreign trade estimates that in
2017-2018 there will be a growth of world
trade and a consequent increase in the
trade of manufactured goods that is lower
than the historical average but higher than
the worldGDP.This is a sign that exports
are essential for growth both globally and
domestically”.
Il tessuto industriale italiano è molto
diverso tra Nord e Sud. Che cos’è il
piano Export Sud e cosa fa per aiu-
tare le zone del Paese con maggiori
difficoltà?
“Il Sud d’Italia incide soltanto per il
10% sul nostro export complessivo.
Troppo poco per non fare qualcosa.
Con il Piano Export Sud abbiamo voluto
mettere in campo uno strumento riser-
vato alle imprese delle quattro Regioni
della Convergenza (Puglia, Calabria,
Campania, Sicilia) con l’obiettivo di con-
sentire alle imprese di quelle Regioni,