Cement and clinker imports to Italy from non-EU countries increase

In the first nine months of 2024, cement and clinker imports from non-EU countries increased by 43 percent compared to the same period in 2023.

In 2023 alone, cement imports from non-EU countries increased by 22.6 percent compared to the previous year, recording an all-time maximum in total imports, which is even more disturbing when put in relation to what was recorded in the five-year period 2018-23, which saw imports from countries with less strict or non-existent environmental standards increase by 572 percent with serious consequences for the entire country.

“Italy shares its coastline on the Mediterranean Sea with countries that, although boasting a large cement production industry, do not share the strict environmental and safety standards of countries belonging to the European Union. The increase in imports from these countries is therefore likely to have repercussions not only for the cement and concrete industry, but for the entire Italian economic and social sphere: the safety and sustainability of bridges, viaducts, hospitals, houses and schools depends on the quality of the materials used to build them. Being certain of the quality of these materials, as well as their origin, is what certifies a project as Made in Italy, which has always been a synonym for excellence and value,” comments Stefano Gallini, president of Federbeton.

The loss of competitiveness of the national industry, which has 2,621 companies and more than 35,000 employees, would make the supply of materials that are fundamental to the growth and security of the country and the people who live in it dependent on imports, making supplies and prices much more unstable and putting the entire construction supply chain in jeopardy at a time when it is witnessing a major economic recovery.

“Federbeton, as well as the entire ‘hard to abate’ industry, is in a time of great turmoil, committed to a path to decarbonization with investments of 4.2 billion euros in addition to operational cost overruns of about 1.4 billion annually, - President Gallini continues, “Asking the Italian industry to make such an effort and continuing not to protect the industry by allowing uncontrolled imports means ‘delocalizing’ emissions to foreign countries, to which must be added the emissions caused by transportation, resulting in dangerous repercussions for the future of our Planet itself.”

If the entire cement and concrete supply chain in Italy were to suddenly shut down there would be an immediate loss of GDP of 5.2 percent.