«It is difficult at this moment to precisely measure the consequences. We certainly know that there are two components to take into consideration: the GDP and the economic accounts of companies” which are affected by the increase in energy and fuel prices. This was stated by the president of Unindustria Calabria, Aldo Ferrara, speaking to Ansa about the possible effects of the conflict in the Middle East on the Calabrian economy.
Concern about energy costs and decline in production
«We register – he continues – a great concern among Calabrian entrepreneurs who in the short term will also adopt countermeasures to contain the effects. For example, the Colacchio pasta factory declared that it could reduce production as early as next week due to the increase in energy and packaging costs. The increases are between 10 and 15%. The same goes for all those energy-intensive companies that are facing unsustainable costs.”
The request for urgent interventions from the Government
«Precisely for this reason – states Ferrara – we ask for immediate interventions. As has already happened with the reduction of excise duties, we believe that specific compensatory and support measures should be introduced. We therefore ask the government to proceed as quickly as possible with measures useful for mitigating the effects of the conflict on the economy, starting with hyper-depreciation and the Bill decree”.
Risks for Calabrian exports and international markets
On the export front, explains Ferrara, «the World Trade Organization is recording a slowdown in trade. Furthermore, the data released by the Bank of Italy and Istat highlight an extremely positive trend for Calabrian exports also for 2025, with growth on the Middle Eastern market. Taking into account that the conflict is affecting that geographical area and that there is a general slowdown in trade, we fear, but hope that this does not happen, negative repercussions on this growth dynamic on the international markets of Calabrian companies”.