According to the statistics released by the Italian steel producers' association Federacciai, in the January-August period of the current year Italy's total steel product imports reached 7.86 million metric tons, decreasing by 49.2 percent, while its steel product exports totaled 8.03 million metric tons, down 37.6 percent, both compared to the corresponding period of 2008.
In the period in question, Italy's semi-finished steel product imports reached 1.72 million metric tons, down 54.2 percent year on year. Italy imported 84.37 percent of these products from outside the European Union member states (EU-27). Meanwhile, the country's semi-finished steel product exports amounted to 359,000 metric tons, down 47.4 percent year on year.
In the first eight months of the year, Italy's imports of long products decreased by 48.3 percent to 1.02 million metric tons, while its long product exports totaled 2.13 million metric tons, down 43 percent, both compared to January-August 2008.
On the other hand, during the given period, Italy's flat product imports reached 4.38 million metric tons, down 46.7 percent year on year, while its flat product exports amounted to 2.96 million metric tons, with a year-on-year decrease of 37 percent.
A net long product exporter and net flat product importer, in January-August this year 51.55 percent of Italy's total long product exports went to the EU-27, while 59.97 percent of its total flat product imports came from the EU-27.