Overview
- Istat estimates show industrial production down 0.2% in 2025 from 2024, with December falling 0.4% month on month but rising 3.2% year on year.
- Sector results were mixed, with steep annual declines in textiles, chemicals, and wood/paper/printing, contrasted by strong gains in pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, and other manufacturing, plus growth in electronics.
- Consumer-facing categories weakened further, as overall consumer goods dropped 0.5% and durable goods fell 0.8%, signaling strained household demand.
- The Unione Nazionale Consumatori and M5S argue the multi-year decline underscores policy failures, criticizing measures such as the Ires premiale and the revised Transizione 5.0, which they say is not yet implemented and risks penalizing smaller firms.
- Il Post links the slump to high energy costs, a weak auto sector including Stellantis’s reduced output, and a difficult global environment that includes trade barriers.