_Eighty faces, eighty characters that interpret and represent the “made in Italy” in the world. It is only a portion – the most noticed to the mass media and the public - of the forces of entrepreneurs, craftsmen, researchers, and intellectuals that hold high the image of the “Belpaese” in the world. These men and
women move a huge business that, in the most disparate distributions
(there are 101 main economical districts interested), agreed with the country to close the year 2006 marking a surplus with overseas around 85 billion euros. It is also thanks to these characters - beyond the strong euro - that after seven
years of crisis, from 1999 to 2005, when Italy had lost 17% of its actual contribution to the world export, at last 2006 marked a difference: the contribution to world trade has grown of 3.5%, the export of the industrial countries touched 6.3%. Our exports rose more than 5.5% last year, and more than 13% in the first quarter of 2007. Certainty, there are also signals of decrease: while Italian extra-EU export were up 10% in March 2007, exports to the USA declined 10,9% in the same month. In general, however, the export of the “made in Italy” grows. Some success is due to the fact that a lot of Italian enterprises are today in a position to impose their prices to the international markets, but also because of two key factors: the defense of the guaranteed
origin and the struggle with counterfeit goods. Defending the origin - On the first point, we need to underline how - after the delocalization of the 90s – some good quality Italian enterprises are back in production in Italy. Even the huge shoe producer, Bata, left China to return to produce in Italy at least 50% of the actual footwear. The trend to return represents a guarantee for those who purchase a slip-on shoe, a garment, or a car, that these products are truly made in Italy. And yet just two months ago the Italian Court of Cassation failed the cause of
those who asked that whoever sells brand name products advertised
as Italians but actually produced abroad should be compelled
to indicate on their label the place of manufacture. The market of counterfeit products - as to the second point, the struggle to the contraband - in the world business of copied assets touches 200 billion dollars, and Italy loses 6 billion euros every year because of counterfeits – it is a war that just started.
In the case of the agri-food area, which is one of the most hit by counterfeit, evidence of “food pirates” - those who copy wines, meat products, pasta and Italian cheeses - have a business of about $52 billion per year, or half of the total sector. The false Italian cheeses are among the most copied goods. Like the wine industry, an organization of farmers calculated that alone, over
10 million liters of forged wine, partly produced in Holland but marked as Frascati, are sold in the United States. To frame the problem, you can think that the alimentary distribution - with 390 thousand employees, second to the metal mechanic industry - represents 5% of the Italian export.
Parmesan in court – We must say that at last, this past February, the European Court of Justice sanctioned Germany for having produced and sold a fake Reggiano Parmesan named “Parmesan”. This product has been forged also in Brazil, China, and Japan. From the European Union a red light came up also
about the Chinese “pummarola”: the European Union parliament asked the labels of the products that were transformed from fresh fruit and vegetables indicate their origin. This obligation will hinder contraband like the “pummarola”, the classic tomato sauce, made with Chinese tomatoes and sold as Italian.
Government Pledge - In this view, the minister of the Foreign Commerce, Emma Bonino, collected the inheritance of the work initiated by her predecessor Adolfo Urso. Already within the first months of activity she underlined many times the necessity to promote the “made in Italy” project with an effective plan, avoiding
thousands of initiatives and duplicates. Her speech indirectly involves “Made in Italy Magazines”, which, introduce themselves as important communication tool for enterprises and Italian craftsmen who want to promote and to support the “Made in Italy” quality on the American market with the new glossy cover
and its internet site dedicated to the best of the Italian production - from fashion to design, from cinema to food, from mechanics to biotechnologies. “Made in Italy magazines” will be a window of Italian products in the United States, useful for high class consumers, but also a publication capable to inform consumers and operators about all new products on the market and what institutions do. Anti-Forgery Offices - The endowment of Italy for the promotion of foreign business amounts to 60 million euros, compared to the 400 million spent by the United Kingdom, the 180 million spent by Spain, and the 120 million by Germany.
The “Belpaese” is represented by 80 offices and 27 I.C.E. correspondence
locations in 84 Countries. The Chambers of Commerce in “Assocamerestero” work with these terminals, to which, in 2007, the government granted 14 million euros as a public contribution funds dedicated to support and defend the “made in Italy” project (compared with 10.5 in 2006). A new anti-forgery office will be opened by July 12th by our foreign offices. The ministry for the Foreign Commerce intends to create spies to defend the “made in Italy” project. At the moment they will open 10 locations close to the I.C.E. in 10 countries: China, India, Russia, USA, Brazil, Turkey, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, and
Dubai. The anti-forgery desks will serve to protect the Italian brands and the indication of origin “Made in Italy” in the major world markets. It is an important first step. Yet, doors to I.C.E. that had been promised by law n. 56, have not been created, nor the merge between embassies and I.C.E. offices that had been
planned by Berlusconi’s government. On the other hand, the minister Bonino seems serious about renewing our foreign representations and actual ministry, hiring specialized local staff: legal, analysts, tributaries. Also, Confindustria” asked the government for an increase of 100 million euros of the funds for the activity of I.C.E. abroad. Since 2008 – the year in which the trade agreement
with United States and Brazil will expire - the plans of promotion of the ministry for foreign Commerce will be three-year and no longer annual, to plan long-term strategies. I.C.E., supports Bonino, is a car that is taking speed. Studies will be made in traditional areas of spread of the “made in Italy” (Europe, United States and Japan) and new studies will be conducted in new Countries like South Africa and some nations of the South East Asia. Also, the opening of offices it is expected in India, Azerbaijan as well as the development of existing locations like Moscow, Dubai and New Delhi. Once again, Italy will create new emerging distributions of “made in Italy” like alternative energies, cinema and biomedical instruments. Meanwhile, however, the flag of the Italian product remains strongly in the hands of large car manufacturers, fashion, design and gastronomy -protagonists that need to be rewarded by those who provide information.
This is the engagement of “Made in Italy Magazine”.