international level. It is easy to see this just by looking at our Tables C which show imports and exports of the main countries in the industry. What are missing are the figures for the volumes but these could only emphasise the fact as they would further demonstrate the growth in all senses, not only in terms of the industry but also the upgrading of the local industry. Together with imports and exports, the local production of raw materials and technology has risen significantly too, even though the latter is very difficult to quantify in figures and the entire picture enhances the role and leadership of a vast area which is increasingly more dynamic. 3. The European Union is still a very important area for the industry and especially in terms of consumption that is mature in all respects. This too is an area with many contradictory aspects, some of which are very problematic. At least two of its leaders are experiencing a long period of repositioning in the international industry and they are Italy and Spain. These are not only traditional countries in the stone industry but above all they are the most important in economic terms and both are strong exporters. 2007 was ambivalent in both cases, with some additional difficulties perhaps for Spain. The end of the year and the beginning of 2008 have not yet given great hope for the solution of some of these problems, perhaps the most significant ones which do not show any sign of a rapid conclusion. The most important thing is that there is a gradual adaptation to the external challenger. In both cases the strategy seems to be increased specialisation in high profile, quality supplies, especially for the foreign markets such as the North American market and the European market, both within and outside the EU. An important fact has emerged and that is that even in this small industry, which however helps some countries to find economic growth and is sometimes considered so strategic that its foreign trade figures are purposely not published, paradoxically it is the actual globalisation process that has triggered off a heightened specialisation process with enhancement of skills that has not been seen before in our recent history. Maybe this is because more so than trade it is technological progress that has encouraged globalisation by knocking down much more difficult and solid barriers than those overcome by free trade agreements. Hence the specialisations and skills in services and production industries alike become increasingly important in a mixture which enhances the competitive skills of territories, all the more if these have identities and plans, firstly in terms of industrial policies, within the different sectors too. Great multilevel governance ability is is required to manage the complex new world we live in with its increasing number of players in order to reconcile these players with their full use: research, innovation, a high sense of local culture, professionalism, protection and growth in knowledge and art. In this need for governance shared by many sectors and many local areas there emerges the difference between “complicated” and “complex” where in the former the difficulty lies above all in the range of possible options while in the latter it is the unpredictable component of the possible scenarios that is more important. It is more than obvious that in this kind of environment and in a situation with these external conditions, companies really cannot work alone and really need help and guidance from the institutions and above all in the surrounding local area, while still making their own choices and planning their own future. And it is becoming increasingly important to invest and plan for the future based on the actual people that work in these companies so that they are and become more and more a resource in the industry.
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