Italy is often seen as a bridge between Europe and the Mediterranean countries because it is strategically located in the middle of the Mediterranean and on the Eastern border of the European Union. The country is an excellent base for business relations with the growth markets of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean countries (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco) and Central Eastern Europe (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, etc.) Northern Italy is in the centre of Europe and is therefore quite a favourable position for economic relations with countries such as France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The Covid-19 crisis has caused an economic shock in Italy as the recovery of Italian SMEs from the 2009 crisis has been much slower than anticipated. During the period 2018-2019, growth had slowed down again, but without affecting the financial structure of SMEs. For many, however, this was not enough to withstand the economic consequences of Covid-19. In fact, the second quarter of 2020 already indicates a reduction of 12.80% of GDP.

Moreover, Italian foreign trade has unfortunatly not been doing very well in recent years and is facing serious problems. Although the trade balance remains positive, the volume of exports is showing a downward trend, while imports, on the other hand, are becoming more significant every year. Italy has, however, seen stronger global demand for its products in recent years than France, Germany or other European countries. The problem can therefore mainly be explained by the deterioration in price competitiveness and due to increasing competition from emerging economies.