Andrea Prete, President of Unioncamere: « The blue economy is one of the driving sectors of our economy, with a strong entrepreneurial connotation ».
With 227,975 companies and 1,040,172 employees, Italy’s maritime economy generates direct added value of 64.6 billion euros, which, if the indirect value and that induced in the rest of the economy are also taken into account, rises to 178.3 billion, or 10.2% of GDP. The data is taken from the XII National Report on the Economy of the Sea, published by the National Observatory of the Economy of the Sea Obsermare, Centro Studi Tagliacarne – Unioncamere, Informare, Chamber of Commerce Frosinone Latina and Blue Forum Italia Network, presented in the presence of the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso and the Minister of Civil Protection and Maritime Policies Nello Musumeci. A sector that is clearly growing in all respects. « The blue economy is one of the driving sectors of our economy with a strong entrepreneurial connotation, » said Andrea Prete, President of Unioncamere, explaining that « a demonstration of this is the increase in the business base, which has risen over the last two years. of ‘1.5 percent against a contraction of almost two points of the total, with a greater presence of young people and female entrepreneurship.
According to the report, direct value added grew by 15.1%, double the Italian average of 6.9%. Overall value added is up by almost one percentage point compared with the XI report of 2023. The multiplier rises to 1.8 this year, compared with 1.7 percent in the last survey. In other words, for every euro spent in the seafood supply chain sectors, an additional 1.8 euros is activated in the rest of the economy. Giovanni Acampora, President of Assonautica Italiana, emphasized the importance of growth « from the South and the supremacy of the South as companies in the maritime economy consolidate ». It’s a very important fact, » he added, « and one that I think everyone should reflect on, because it’s a kind of national rebalancing. Acampora went on to praise the government’s commitment to the sector: « Today, thanks to an extremely favorable institutional panorama, the process of reaffirming our maritime identity has found a unique and attentive interlocutor in the person of the Minister for the Sea and his technical mission structure ».
For his part, Nello Musumeci, Minister of Civil Protection and Maritime Policies, warned that « competition and rivalry with North African countries and those of the Near and Middle East are increasing ». The answer, for Musumeci, « is to create a network, we need to redevelop the port network, update it, electrify it, we need to work to focus on port tourism, there’s a lot to do ». The Minister assured that « the raw material, the sea as a resource, is already on the agenda not only of the Government, but also of the local and regional authorities, which means that with a more concrete dialogue, we can really work to develop a sector that employs over a million people. In his speech, Adolfo Urso, Minister for Trade and Made in Italy, was clear: « Italy’s future lies in space and the sea, and the sea can help the South to bridge the gap that separates it from the rest of Italy ».
Source: Nova.News
