MILAN, Sept 3 (Reuters) – The cost of Italy’s net energy imports will approach 100 billion euros this year, wiping out the net trade surplus the country has had with the rest of the world in years past, a said Economy Minister Daniele Franco on Saturday.
During a business forum, the minister added that last year, 75% of Italy’s energy consumption was fueled by imports, and that the country’s net energy imports reached 43 billion euros.
“We are transferring wealth overseas,” he said.
“(The figure of 100 billion euros) represents three percentage points of the gross domestic product (GDP), which we are in the process of transferring to the energy-producing countries”, added Daniele Franco. (Valentina Za and Elvira Pollina, Gilles Guillaume for the French version)