Feb. 10 – The Chamber of Commerce of Milan analyzed ISTAT data and revealed that there are about 60.000 Milanese companies in a trade partnership with a foreign country, more than one out of five. In the first nine months of 2013, Milan’s exports amounted to almost €28 billion, representing over a third of the regional total and one-tenth of the national total. The decline over the same period of 2012 is mainly due to a decline in exports to European partners (-2.3%), while non-European markets remains strong, in particular East Asia (+5 %), with Korea (+13,9%), Singapore (6.7%), Taiwan (+6%) and Hong Kong (+4.6%). Russia (+9.8%), Turkey (+3.2%), and the United States (+1.8 %) also helped reduce the gap with 2012. In the manufacturing sector, which accounts for 95 % of Milan exports, the fashion and food industries are the best performing: clothing and accessories had €4 billion in revenue from abroad, for a 6.4% increase; foodstuffs, wines and beverages exported more than €1 billion, for a 6.2% increase. The Lombardy region will discuss the prospects of its exports at Exportour, an initiative created by Promos (the company for the international activities of the Chamber of Commerce of Milan) which kicks off today at the Chamber of Commerce. “The goal – said Promos in a statement – is to provide businesses with a specific focus on services, tools and funding for internationalization, and focus on foreign markets that present business opportunities.” Among the offered opportunities, there is the 2014 Voucher Internationalization competition, promoted by the Lombardy Region and the Lombard Chamber system and managed by Promos, which gives grants – through the allocation of vouchers to SMEs – to participate in international fairs and economic missions abroad, and to buy consulting services in support of internationalization. In addition, a new service dedicated to finance to assist the firm goes abroad in the choice and use of financial products best suited to your project and find the insurance coverage that would enable it to protect against risks.
