New Perspectives in Industrial Relocation from West to East Europe: The North-East Italy-Romania Case

This article aims to understand, with regard to such mature industries like footwear and apparel, the internationalisation of networked value chains in Eastern European countries, by analysing the characteristics of production relocation of North-east Italian firms (based in the Veneto region) in Romania. This study is based on data and information gathered directly by the authors through 11 in depth case studies of SMEs involved in relocating production to Romania. The Veneto-Romania case constitutes an example of: a) how robust and resilient existing industrial systems in Western European Economies can be, and b) how firms from emerging economies can be integrated into supply chains with positive outcomes for all the actors.