MILAN: Steel exports from Italy, the European Union's second-biggest producer after Germany, rose 12.1 percent to 16.966 million tonnes in 2011, but lagged behind import volumes, industry body Federacciai data showed on Friday.
Italy's export-focused steel industry has come under growing pressure from non-EU rivals in the past few years and, facing modest demand on core markets, needs to rethink its product range and consolidate, analysts say.
Steel imports, about 50 percent of which come from outside the EU, rose 6 percent to 17.372 million tonnes last year, according to data published on Federacciai's website. (www.federacciai.it)
Italy's steel exports to its main markets in other EU countries jumped 16.2 percent to 12.016 million tonnes in 2011, while imports from the EU edged 0.2 percent lower to 8.605 million tonnes.
In trade with countries outside the 27-nation bloc, Italy's steel exports rose 3.1 percent to 4.950 million tonnes last year while imports jumped 12.8 percent to 8.771 million tonnes, the data showed.
In January 2012, exports to countries outside the EU jumped 19.8 percent to 400,000 tonnes, while imports plunged 47.5 percent to 450,000 tonnes, Federacciai said, without giving EU figures for the first month of this year.
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