VENETO - Economy
The Veneto model: small and medium enterprises
In 2000 Veneto produced 9% of the country's gross value added and was fifth among the Italian regions in terms of per capita GDP. Industrial development is a fairly recent phenomenon. This sector burst in the post-war period with the creation of small and medium-sized firms that now form the region's industrial base. With infrastructure evenly distributed throughout the territory and a good road network, it has been possible to avoid industry over-concentration. The region's agriculture is among the most specialised and diversified in the country, even if characterised by average small land holdings. In the Alpine foothills and in the plain, the predominant form of agriculture (86.4% in 2000) is the small or medium-sized holding managed by the farmer-owner. Despite late industrialisation and the predominance of small firms, the region's products - especially in certain sectors such as the clothing trade - have won a prominent position on international markets. Recently, however, the low level of investments in capital assets and the reduced level of technology innovation characterising the typical industrial sectors in Veneto, such as the clothing trade and the furniture industry, is favouring the competition of emerging countries in East Europe and South East Asia.
In terms of export value, Veneto is the second region in Italy, with 14.5% of national exports in 2002.
The region is not rich in mineral resources, the only one of note being marble quarried in the province of Verona.
The flexible character of the region's industry has proved to be fertile ground for the growth of high-tech services, though this sector is relatively small in comparison with other regions. The port of Venice is the fifth largest Italian port in terms of goods traffic.
A thriving agriculture but services in need for improvement
The region's agriculture is among the most productive in the country. However, it is still characterised by an intensive use of labour, due to the specialisation in market gardening, fruit-growing and vine-growing throughout the plain and the foothills. In the south and in the extreme east of the region, grain crops are more common and land holdings are larger than in the rest of the region. The cattle stock, although declining, still represented 15% of the national stock in 2000.
As to manufacturing, different areas, mainly along the Verona-Vicenza-Padua-Treviso axis, tend to specialise in different products: food products, wood and furniture, leather and footwear, textiles and clothing, gold jewellery. This partition of the territory into industrial districts, typical of Veneto, has led to the establishment of a strongly export-oriented system of industries. The industries of power, chemicals and metals processing are more important in the eastern central belt, especially around Porto Marghera, where various branches of companies from outside the region are located. Anyway, in recent years, some chemical local units had to stop their production in order to be restructured or were dismissed because of their dangerousness in a densely populated area.
Hotel and catering trade play an important role in the services sector. One-fifth of Italy's foreign tourism is recorded in Veneto, which is the first region in Italy in terms of tourist presence and the second after Emilia Romagna in terms of hotel industry structures.
The region's economy is still dependent on other areas for key high-tech services.
A major motorway running east to west links the main centres of the region with the industrial triangle of Milan, Turin and Genoa, while Verona is a major crossroads for road and rail communications with northern Europe.
As a border region well equipped with ports, Veneto is in a strategic position connecting northern Europe and the Adriatic Sea. However, the transport infrastructure is inadequate, and major projects are planned to improve rail links with central Europe. Moreover, the ever-increasing road traffic with East Europe strongly requires the improvement of the connections between east and west in order to avoid a not far-away paralysis.
|
|