German investment in Italy on the rise

Trade relations 'excellent and stable' between nations

(ANSA) - Rome, May 8 - German investment in Italy rose by almost 11%, from 30.2 billion euros in 2009 to 33.1 billion euros in 2012, the Italian chamber of commerce for Germany said Thursday. The number of Italian companies with German stakeholders grew by almost 100 to reach 1,345 over the same period, which coincided with the economic crisis in Italy. "Trade relations between the two countries are excellent and stable," president of the Italian chamber of commerce for Germany, Emanuele Gatti, told ANSA. "Trade activities currently amount to over 100 billion euros with further predicted growth," Gatti said.

Italian goods worth 43.7 billion euros were exported to Germany from January to November last year. The chemical and metallurgy sectors each accounted for 13% of exports, followed by transport at 11%, food and agriculture at 7%, and textiles at 5%.