1.3% rise on the year, the smallest yearly increase in almost two years.
"Import prices fell again month-on-month - the fifth consecutive decline - and the yearly growth slowed down further, mainly due to declining prices for natural gas and electricity outside the euro zone,” ISTAT said. The value of Italy’s exports rose 10.8% year-on-year, with a particularly strong performance outside the European Union, mainly thanks to pharmaceutical products. Despite a trade surplus on the global level, Italy saw its trade deficit with EU-countries widen to 1.889 billion euros in February compared with a deficit of 313 million euros in February 2022. ($1 = 0.9114 euros) (Reporting by Carlo Giovanni Boffa and Luca Fratangelo, editing by Valentina Consiglio, Gavin Jones and Christina Fincher)