Italy's minister for economic development, Pierluigi Bersani, has defended the policy of specifying the country of origin, even within the European Union (EU), of certain products.

Officially, the EU claims that its 27 member states share one market and cannot, therefore, import or export goods to each other.

However, at a press conference at the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week, Mr Bersani, said Italy would continue to support country-specific identification of important products, including footwear.

Moreover, he said this policy had the full support of the Italian government and of Italian members of the European Parliament.

The minister said: "This initiative is not an attempt to disguise protectionist policies or to show an attitude that opposes globalisation. After all, the US recently introduced a similar measure and it's the largest importer of Chinese goods in the world."

Putting 'Made in Italy' on a pair of Italian shoes was simply a way of meeting consumers' right to know where the goods they buy come from, he argued.