Steel exports from Italy, the European Union's second largest producer, jumped 9.8 percent year-on-year to 8.21 million tonnes in the first five months of 2012, the industry group Federacciai said on Friday, in a rare bright spot for Italy's shrinking economy.

Steel imports, about 58 percent of which came from other EU countries in the January-May period, dropped 26.3 percent to 6.21 million tonnes in the first five months of 2012, data published on Federacciai's website showed. Federacciai did not offer any explanation for the numbers.

Federacciai Chairman Antonio Gozzi said last month he expected steel exports from Italy this year to stay around the 12 million tonnes shipped out in 2011.

Steelmakers in Europe have been hit by the economic slowdown and the euro zone debt crisis which have sapped industrial demand.

Italy's economy, the euro zone's third largest, is set to shrink sharply this year and continue its contraction into 2013, the Bank of Italy has estimated. Italy is Europe's No. 2 steel producer after Germany.

Steel exports to Italy's main markets in other EU countries rose 3.5 percent to 5.704 million tonnes in the first five months of 2012, while imports from the EU fell 8.1 percent to 3.587 million tonnes.

In the same period, trade with countries outside the 27-nation bloc, Italy's steel exports jumped 27.4 percent to 2.505 million tonnes while imports sank 42 percent to 2.620 million tonnes, the data showed.

In the first six months of 2012, Italy's exports to countries outside the EU jumped 31.2 percent to 3.122 million tonnes, while imports plunged 43.2 percent to 3.087 million tonnes, Federacciai said. The trade group did not give EU figures for the January-June period.