At the International Trade Forum, Italian exports are emerging as growing, but with a potential still untapped of over 85 billion. Market diversification is strategic
Milan – During the Third International Trade Forum held in Milan, a worrying picture for global trade emerged: customs barriers have more than tripled compared to the pre-pandemic era, rising from about 1,200 annual measures to over 4,300 in 2024 and 2,235 in the first ten months of 2025. This trend reflects a growing fragmentation of international trade, described by experts as a phase of “post-globalization”.
One of the main disruptive factors has been the increase in tariffs by the United States, where the tariff policy initiated with the Trump administration has brought average rates to 17.9%, the highest level since 1934. This has tripled customs revenues, reaching 29.6 billion dollars per month.
According to Sara Armella, scientific director of the Forum and managing partner of the Armella & Associati firm, tariffs have now become a geopolitical, not just an economic, lever. In this scenario, she emphasized, customs knowledge and market diversification become fundamental for the survival of Italian companies.
The Deputy Minister of Made in Italy, Valentino Valentini, also highlighted that geopolitical fragmentation could cause a loss of up to 3,000 billion dollars to world trade by 2035, and reiterated the urgency of supporting the internationalization of companies and production districts.
Despite trade tensions, Italian exports recorded a growth of 2.1% in the first half of 2025, reaching 322.6 billion euros, while France and Germany marked a decline of 0.9%. However, the ICE Agency estimates that Italian companies will have to face additional costs of 10.6 billion euros due to tariffs, with a possible negative impact on GDP between 0.2% and 1.4%.
The central theme emerging from the Forum was that of geographical diversification: according to a White Paper by ARcom Formazione, only 13% of Italian exports are directed towards new markets, leaving an untapped potential of more than 85 billion euros.
The European Union, which now has 45 free trade agreements with 79 non-EU countries, already generates 46% of European foreign trade through these agreements. The markets considered most promising for the future are Mercosur, India, and Southeast Asia, towards which expansion strategies are encouraged to focus.
