Italy's June 2026 extra‑EU trade shows export dip and rising energy imports

In June 2026 Italy's export value to non‑EU countries fell 4% month‑on‑month, chiefly due to a 17.8% drop in energy sales and a 5.3% decline in capital goods, while durable consumer goods rose 6%. On an annual basis exports grew 3.6%, a slowdown from the May increase of 6.8%, driven mainly by intermediate goods and a strong energy contribution. Imports rose 1.3% month‑on‑month and 18.5% year‑on‑year, boosted by energy (+31.9%) and intermediate goods (+23.7%). The trade surplus with the extra‑EU27 shrank to €2.55 billion from €5.48 billion a year earlier, reflecting a larger energy deficit. Main export partners saw gains to China (+19.1%), Turkey (+10.8%) and Switzerland (+10.5%); exports to the United States were flat, while those to the United Kingdom fell 10.5%. Import growth was led by purchases from OPEC countries (+47.8%).

Over the first nine months of 2025, Italy’s trade with Ireland accelerated sharply: Italian exports to Ireland reached €3.72 billion, up 35.9% YoY, while imports from Ireland rose to €6.6 billion, a 16.8% increase. The bilateral exchange surpassed €10.3 billion, with Ireland supplying mainly pharmaceuticals and Italy exporting machinery, chemicals, food products and electrical equipment. Furio Pietribiasi, president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, highlighted large infrastructure opportunities, notably the Dublin metro project valued at €14‑16 billion, and projected €40‑50 billion of Italian investment in Irish programmes over the next two decades.