EU-DIGEST

Italian economy boosted by strong wine sales

The Italian economy has received a timely boost with the news that the country's winemakers are on course to become the world's top producers of wine. According to Coldiretti, the representative body of Italian farmers, 4.7 billion litres of wine will have been produced by the end of the year, which is an eight per cent increase on last year's levels. With France, the world leaders last year, seeing production fall by five per cent in the last 12 months, Italy is expected to seize the top spot. This will be good news for Italy's economy and it may serve to entice more property investors to expand their portfolios in the Mediterranean country.

Labels: EU, Italy, Wine Industry

Bulgaria in talks to import Egyptian natural gas reducing dependence on Russian energy linking existing Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline

Sameh Fahmy the Egyptian oil minister held talks today (Thursday) in Bulgaria about selling up to 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year to the EU country, which is trying to cut its dependence on Russian energy imports. Egypt's Oil Minister said deliveries could begin in 2011-2012, starting at half a billion cubic meters per year.Dimitrov said Egyptian gas could come to Bulgaria through the existing Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline if Turkey and Egypt were to link their gas networks. Such a link, he said, would be 'crucial to guarantee Egyptian supplies for the Nabucco gas pipeline project. The Nabucco pipeline was built to ease Europe's reliance on Russian energy. The EU gets about one-third of its oil and about 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia.

Labels: Bulgaria, Egypt, EU, Gas Supplies, Greece, Italy, Turkey

Italy to veto new EU climate targets if there are no concessions-by Robin Pomeroy

(Reuters)Italy's environment minister said today his country will veto new European greenhouse gas limits for 2020 unless it gets concessions,suggesting the EU might have to wait a year before adopting new climate change policies. French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants a European Union summit he will chair next month to agree a 20 percent emissions cut, something the EU would use to press other countries for a new global treaty for when the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Most EU diplomats believe Italy is posturing to try to eke out a better deal for its industry and that Berlusconi would not dare risk the stigma of torpedoing the EU's long-held and self-declared role as global leader in climate change policy.

Without a deal at the December 11-12 Brussels summit, there is practically no chance the EU could agree in time for a climate change conference in December 2009 where the world is supposed to define a post-Kyoto treaty.

Labels: Environment: climate change, EU, Italy

Unicredit CEO: Italian banks "absolutely solid"

UniCredit SpA (UCG.MI) Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Profumo said in an interview published Tuesday that Italy's banking sector, including the bank he leads, is "absolutely solid." "We've had some problems, but the bank has always been very solid and now it's even more solid," Profumo told Rome daily La Republica.

Labels: Banking system, EU, Italy

Labels: EU, Italy, Poland, Religion

Berlusconi ally urges Italian athletes to show dissent in Beijing

A senior member of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's political party has triggered a row by urging Italy's Olympic officials to allow Italian athletes at the Olympics to protest China's human rights policies. Maurizio Gasparri, chief whip in Italy's Senate for Berlusconi's People of Freedom party, also said he would send the athletes in Beijing a video showing 'Communist China's daily repression in Tibet,' according to a statement from his office Tuesday.

Labels: China, EU, Italy, Olympics, Silvio Berlusconi

Ryanair ad discloses Italian Government subsidies to Alitalia increases passengers fares - by Dave Anderson

Ryanair, the prominent Irish low cost carrier, has managed to anger Italy’s conservative government by posting an ad on its website, in which the airline claimed that Italian officials had an “up yours” attitude, when it comes to the country’s struggling national carrier, Alitalia.The fact that Ryanair decided to run these ads should serve as no surprise, considering that the Irish low cost carrier has very openly articulated that it opposes state subsidies to carriers and as such, the airline has spoken out on several occasions against the Italian government’s decision to provide the near bankrupt Alitalia with a €300 million emergency loan. Ryanair argues that by providing these loans, the government is essentially supporting Alitalia’s higher fares and thus placing passengers at a disadvantage.

Labels: EU, Italy, Ryanair

Netherlands, Italy go through from Euro 2008 "group of death"

World champions Italy and the Netherlands won their final matches in group C at the European championship finals on June 17 by the same scoreline, 2:0, to progress to the quarterfinals. The Dutch had secured their spot at the top of the group even before their match with Romania and fielded a team filled with reserves, which nevertheless included players that can single-handedly win a match on their night, such as Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. For Romania, a win would have guaranteed progressing at the expense of Italy and France, the two teams that played in the last World Cup final. But instead of adopting a more swashbuckling attitude, as they did against Italy, Romania looked for the larger part of the match as a collection of individuals who were playing together for the first time, struggling to string along more than three passes going forward. The Netherlands enjoyed the lion's share of the possession, aided by Romanian players, who appeared unable to stop themselves from giving the ball away. Expertly stretching their opponents' defence on the wings, the Dutch looked more likely to score and in the 36th minute Robben missed the first clear-cut chance, stabbing his shot just inches wide of goal. One of Romania's rare forays saw Razvan Cocis shoot over the crossbar when he was left alone at the edge of the Dutch penalty area just before half-time.

Within ten minutes of the restart, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, the Ajax striker rumoured to be a transfer target for a host of big clubs, who has looked largely ineffective until then, finally scored his first goal of the tournament with an easy-looking tap-in from Ibrahim Afellay's cross.At the other end, the Netherlands continued to patiently test Romania, but their second goal came from a counter-attack in the dying minutes of the half, van Persie beating his market to thump his shot into the near corner.Italy received an unexpected boost eight minutes into the match, when Franck Ribery, France's most dangerous player so far this tournament, was stretchered off with an apparent hamstring injury.Luck was on Italy's side throughout the match, but it remains to be seen whether it will hold against Spain when the two teams play each other in the quarterfinal on June 22. The last time they met, in March, Spain won 1:0.

Labels: EU, EURO 2008, Italy, Netherlands

George Bush in Italy: a disruptive presence - by Tom Kington

Romans opening their newspapers yesterday were shocked to read that the pending arrival of George Bush would mean the roping off of 3,000 precious parking spaces in the traffic-choked eternal city. Fittingly for the visit of an unpopular president winding up his term of office, Romans were more concerned at the idea of blocked streets and blocked cell phone signals so soon after a slew of world leaders descended on them for the UN food summit held in Rome last week.

Protesters planning to march against the US presence in Iraq were on the streets as early as Monday, camped outside the city's Regina Coeli jail in prisoner's garb after hearing that 230 inmates were being moved out to make room for any protesters arrested.

Labels: EU, George Bush, Italy

Euro 2008 - Soccer: Dutch pull off Euro stunner over Italy

It took the Netherlands eight years, but they finally exacted revenge on Italy. The Dutch rolled to a 3-0 victory Monday over world champion Italy in Berne, Switzerland, in the opening Group C contest for both nations at Euro 2008. Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wesley Sneijder scored for the Netherlands, who lost the last competitive game between these two nations in the semifinals of Euro 2000.Monday's victory was also the first for the Dutch over the Italians in eight games, dating back to their second-round encounter at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

The Netherlands leads Group C with three points. Romania and France (one point each) are tied for second after battling to a 0-0 tie earlier in the day in Zurich. Winless Italy is in fourth place.

Labels: EU, EURO 2008, Italy, Netherlands, Soccer

Italy's Air One orders Airbus planes for $4.8 bln - by Deepa Babington

Tiny Italian airline Air One has ordered 24 planes from European plane maker Airbus for $4.8 billion as it expands its long-haul flight offerings to the United States and the Far East. The deal is the second major order for Airbus in a week after Gulf Air placed a $4.5 billion order for 35 single aisle and widebody aircraft last week. Air One also has an option to buy another 20 planes for about $3.8 billion.

Air One has been steadily building up its operations while ailing rival Alitalia loses market share and risks bankruptcy due to the continuing strain of high oil prices, tough competition and frequent labour strikes.

Labels: Airbus sales, Aircraft Industry, EU, Italy

Silvio Berlusconi faces Muslim clash - by Malcolm Moore

Silvio Berlusconi is facing a row with the Muslim world over his plans to appoint a member of the far-Right to his cabinet. Roberto Calderoli, 52, a senior member of the Northern League, enraged Muslims two years ago during the row over a set of Danish cartoons featuring the Prophet Mohammed. He appeared on television wearing a T-shirt printed with one of the cartoons. The Italian consulate in Libya was set on fire and 11 people died in riots. Mr Calderoli has also threatened to defile the proposed site of a mosque in Padua by walking a pig over the ground. When Italy beat France in the 2006 World Cup, he said France had "sacrificed its identity by fielding niggers, Muslims and communists".

Note EU-Digest: with friends like Mr.Berlusconi who needs any enemies?

Labels: Berlusconi, EU, Italy, Muslims

Italian Poll Verdict - by Abdul Ruff

Italy is the fourth largest European economy and has one of the highest per capita incomes in Europe. The country's traditional manufacturing industries suffered a downturn during the final years of the twentieth century, but there have recently been some signs that the economy is beginning to recover from its decade-long slump. Italy's economy has been slipping in the face of low productivity and a strong euro, and analysts say young people, pensioners and low-income workers are feeling the pressure. Although Italy faces a massive public debt, both candidates have promised tax cuts and handouts to voters. The extent of Italy's malaise was made clear only a week before the ballot, when the IMF cut its growth forecast for the country to 0.3% for both 2008 and 2009. That would make Italy's the slowest-growing economy in Europe and among the G8 rich countries. In 2006 it was overtaken by Spain and next year it may fall behind Greece.

The Italian political landscape underwent a seismic shift in the 1990s when the "Clean Hands" operation exposed corruption at the highest levels of politics and big business. Several former prime ministers were implicated and thousands of businessmen and politicians were investigated. In the mid-1990s its GDP per head, at purchasing-power parity, was 20% above the average for the 27 countries in today's European Union. It was richer than Britain and France, and second to Germany among big EU states. Twelve years on, it has fallen below the EU 27 average for the first time.

There are some reasons for hope, though. Italy's employment performance is good: joblessness is at a 30-year low. Exports have been booming, despite the strong euro. Italy's banks have improved under the spur of competition, and they have mostly avoided the sub-prime debt that is dragging down rivals in Europe.

Labels: Elections, EU, Italy

Outrage over Berlusconi remarks on immigration

Italy’s Prime Minister-elect Silvio Berlusconi was running true to form on Tuesday as he basked in his overwhelming victory in the general elections held earlier this week. By declaring that illegal immigrants are “an army of evil” he gave Italians a taste of things to come. There has been a rising tide of anti-immigrant sentiment in Italy, especially towards people coming from Romania, Albania, Kosovo, and other parts of the Balkans, with attempts to repatriate Roma gypsies often described as “liars and thieves.” In a long press conference, Mr. Berlusconi brushed off criticism that he would be putty in the hands of his key coalition partner Umberto Bossi of the Northern League who has been calling for the break-up of Italy into three distinct federal regions so that the wealthy north no longer has to subsidize the poor south. However, he did say he would “increase neighbourhood police forces who would place themselves between the people of Italy and the army of evil.” Mr. Berlusconi’s remarks caused tremendous outrage and prompted Walter Veltroni of the Democratic Party who lost the election to remark: “I am horrified by his statements so far. His words do not add up to a good start.”

Note EU-Digest: Silvio Berlusconi is the worst possible choice for Italy at this stage of its history. It is sinking under a huge public debt, the heaviest tax burden in the euro zone, and the fastest aging workforce. Mr. Berlusconi probably realizes that the premier in a country with a 900-odd member parliament and numerous parties holds virtually no executive power. "He has no more projects," says Mr. Ferrara, an old fan. "He has no delusions. He has become very cynical. Italy is so hard to rule that Berlusconi probably figures, 'I won't try anything, I will go with the mainstream and give Italians what they want, shelter from competition, the tax man and most of all, "precariousness" of any kind". Italy today is like "a person on life support" and its re-elected leader Berlusconi provides no hope for change. Italy's problems and the election of Berlusconi prompted comedian Beppe Grillo to joke: "Please, invade us. Help us!"

Labels: Berlusconi, Elections, EU, Italy

Why Berlusconi beat the ‘Italian Obama’ - - by Dr Dominic Standish

"Italian voters are so disillusioned by more than a decade of anti-corruption witch-hunting that they are willing to return to office the man who was described as the most corrupt of them all: Berlusconi. And second because it highlights the perils of personality politics, which should be a lesson to politicians across the Western world."

Berlusconi demonstrated that he still has some appeal in a country where political correctness is not as all-pervasive as it is in the US and some Western European countries. In the past Berlusconi famously compared a German politician to a Nazi camp guard, and he declared shortly after 9/11 that Western civilization is superior to Islam. During the latest election campaign, he proposed mental health tests for prosecutors who have attempted to convict him on corruption charges, stated that right-wing women are sexier than left-wing ones, and hailed a Mafioso who looked after his villa in the 1970s as a ‘hero’ for refusing to talk to police.

Although Berlusconi’s cultivation of personality politics was more successful than Veltroni’s Obama ripoff act, neither leader could mask the pervasive sense of stasis in Italian politics. The electorate was faced with two ageing representatives of Italy’s political old guard attempting to reinvent themselves as dynamic personalities.

Labels: EU, Italy, Silvio Berlusconi

Berlusconi Wins Italian Election, Set for Third Term (Italians vote in favor of self-destructions) - by Steve Scherer and Flavia Krause-Jackson)

Billionaire media mogul Silvio Berlusconi won a majority in both houses of the Italian parliament and will return to power for a third term as premier. Berlusconi's People of Liberty party and its allies took 166 seats in the Senate, the upper house, to 138 for Walter Veltroni's Democratic Party and its partner, according to a projection by RAI state television. In the Chamber of Deputies, Berlusconi took 45.9 percent of the vote compared with Veltroni's 38.9 percent, RAI estimated. That would give Berlusconi about 340 lower-house seats out of 630. ``Berlusconi is back,'' said Maurizio Pessato, chief executive officer of polling company SWG Srl in Trieste, Italy. ``With this result, he can last.''

Note EU-Digest: The question might not be if he can last, but if the Italians can survive? Italy deserves better.

Labels: Berlusconi, Elections, Italy

Italian ambassador to Azerbaijan: "Italian entrepreneurs are interested both in tourism and other business sectors of Azerbaijan"

"Azerbaijan should use Italy's potential for development of the tourism sector", said Gianluidji Masha, Italian ambassador to Azerbaijan.According to the diplomat, the people, working in the tourist sector of the country, may practice in Italy, as it is one of the countries, which are most frequently visited by tourists and have specialists in all spheres of this sector. It should be noted that Italian representatives will take part in the tourist exhibition to open in the Sport and Concert Complex named after Heydar Aliyev late this week.

Labels: Azerbaijan, EU, Italy

Walter Veltroni: projecting Italy as the 'hub' of neoliberal Europe

Walter Veltroni is the main centre-left challenger to Berlusconi in Italy’s general election. As leader of the Democratic Party, he rejects local and social movement campaigns in territorial autonomy and favours making Italy a military and industrial ‘hub’, writes Enzo Mangini .

Ten pillars, twelve actions to be implemented immediately, and a green bus to spread the word traveling across Italy’s 110 provinces – these are the numbers behind the electoral campaign of Walter Veltroni, former mayor of Rome and leader of the recently formed Democratic Party (Partito Democratico, PD). Veltroni is challenging Silvio Berlusconi in the general election of 13 and 14 April. After the fall of Romano Prodi’s centre-left coalition, Veltroni has led an aggressive campaign to erode the allegedly enormous lead that Berlusconi started with in opinion polls. To do so, Veltroni chose to shrink the ponderous 280-page programme which Prodi’s coalition presented to voters two years ago to a mere 20-page folder, available in slides on PD’s appealing website.

Labels: Elections, EU, Italy, Veltroni

Rome's centre-left mayor - to become Italy's next prime minister has sparked strong interest both at home and in wider Europe, but polls and analysts suggest that media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi has a higher chance of winning and achieving a third-time comeback as leader of the EU's fourth largest country.

Mr Prodi, a former European Commission president, lost a confidence vote mainly due to internal struggles in his nine-party ruling coalition and protests by small coalition parties against changes in election laws. While Mr Prodi managed to cut the country's budgetary deficit from 4.4 percent of GDP in 2006 to 2.4 percent in 2007, Italy is still struggling with its enormous public debt which remains bigger than its gross domestic product. The gloomy economic outlook of the country has been a key factor in the current campaign, with EU economy commissioner Joaquin Almunia stressing recently that a health-check of Italy's public finances "must be one of the objectives of all of the candidates taking part in the elections."

Mr Berlusconi (71) lost the 2006 elections overwhelmingly due to dissatisfaction among voters with his economic performance. Despite referring to himself as a champion of free markets and holding a comfortable majority in parliament, he failed to fully liberate Italy's rigid pension and social system.

Viewed as a relative youngster by Italian political standards, Mr Veltroni is trying to inspire young voters, as well as the around 30 percent of the electorate that remains undecided. He has been campaigning under an Italian version of "Yes, we can" – the slogan of Barack Obama, a front-runner Democrat candidate for the US presidency elections. Mr Veltroni promises to boost Italy's economy and transparency over public affairs.

Labels: Elections, EU, Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, Veltroni

Italians Top For Holiday Romances

Italians really are stallions for women when it comes to love on holiday. And men fantasize most about Sophia Loren-type Italian women for a far-flung fling, according to a survey. Around 700 people were asked which nationality they would be most attracted to if they were single. British were second on the list for both sexes, while Turkish and Caribbean are a turn-off. Colin Shaddick, of Continental Research, who commissioned the study, said: "Men and women said either Italians or British were the top nationalities they would most fancy a fling with.

"Men were more likely to be drawn to Oriental women." When both the views of men and women are combined, the US comes top as the sexiest place to head for a passionate encounter

Labels: EU, Italy, Romance, Sex Appeal

Italy - Berlusconi says he would veto sale of Alitalia to Air France: report ( the "mad" Italian politician is back on the EU Scene

Berlusconi said that if he gains the premiership for a third time, he would respond to the offer from Air France-KLM with "a curt no." "It is not a matter of saying no against France but against the conditions proposed," said the media tycoon, widely seen as the favourite to win the April 13-14 elections.

Alitalia, which has lurched from crisis to crisis for years, is now close to bankruptcy.

Labels: Alitalia, Berlusconi, EU, Italy

Europe idle as US battles meltdown - by Ambrose Evans - Pritchard

It is the first time since the Great Depression that the US Fed has stepped in directly to absorb credit losses, crossing a line deemed unthinkable just months ago. The dramatic late-night move on Sunday required dredging up Article 13 (3) of the Federal Reserve Act, which allows the Fed to shower money on almost anybody it wishes by a vote of five governors in "unusual and exigent circumstances".Jean-Michel Six, chief Europe economist at Standard & Poor's, said the Europeans were in no mood to rescue America. "There is monetary war going on. The ECB view is that Fed is a victim of its own mistakes and should pay for its past crimes. Frankly, they don't see why they should be cutting rates when inflation (3.3pc) is accelerating," he said.

There are now echoes of October 1987 when the German Bundesbank (and therefore Europe) refused to ease monetary policy, even though the dollar was in freefall and Wall Street was fragile. The spat was the backdrop to the Black Monday crash.

Note EU-Digest: The ECB is on the right track, the problems of the US economy are of the US her own making. If the ECB cuts the interest rates in Europe, inflation would rise and Europe's economy would also spiral into disaster.

Labels: Britain, Christianity, Energy, EU, EU Economy, euro, France, Gas Supplies, Healthcare, Iraq war, Islam, Italy, Romance, Russia, Sarkozy, Sex Appeal, Turkey, US, US Economy

Silvio Berlusconi does not deserve another chance of power in Italy - by Brownwen Maddox

The prospect should be unthinkable, but polls suggest that Italians may pick Silvio Berlusconi for a third stint as prime minister in their quest for a government. Leave aside the conflict of interest with his media and business empire, and his amendment, while in office, of laws on penal justice that helped him to sidestep charges of false accounting. Leave aside, too, for a moment, his reform of the electoral laws that has returned Italy to the days of splintering governments that cannot withstand the strain of difficult decisions for much more than a year. But even considering his record in office, there is not enough to warrant a return. If people want to attempt a justification, they point to two slivers of reform on pensions and employment. That is all they can do, because there are no other cases where Berlusconi clearly acted for Italy's benefit rather than his own.

Labels: Crime, Elections, EU, Italy, Silvio Berlusconi

Abortion emerges as election issue in Italy

The emotive subject of abortion has emerged as an election issue ahead of Italy's vote on April the 13th. The high profile journalist Giuliano Ferrara has announced plans to run for election on a single-issue, pro-life ticket. On Monday, would-be centre-right Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi endorsed Ferrara's call for a UN moratorium on terminations, but stopped short of backing an alliance with his new party. Ferrara's comments have also been endorsed by top Catholic officials in the Vatican. Centre-left politicians, meanwhile, have roundly condemned Ferrara's campaign as an attack on women's rights. Former Minister Rosy Bindi, a Catholic member of the Democratic Party, confirmed her personal opposition to abortion but said the issue had no place in an election campaign.

Labels: Elections, Italy

Italy- the Italian Obama - Send for Mr Nice Guy - by Rosemary Righter

Two years ago, an impressive 83 per cent of Italian voters turned out in an election that neither Silvio Berlusconi nor Romano Prodi deserved to win. Italy's choice lay between a sleek snake-oil merchant who had done culpably little with a record five years in power, and a rumpled political cobbler whose chances of getting anything done at all were slight. So here again is Il Cavaliere Silvio, back in the running for the third time and lengths ahead of Walter Veltroni, the centre-left horse in this race. Yet the finish could be close. What is new is that Mr Veltroni has understood one big thing about Silvio's appeal: that he stands out from the rest of the pack. And he is attempting to steal his act.

Mr Veltroni, whose day job is Mayor of Rome, is the leader of a “new” Democratic Party, forged last autumn by merging his Margarita Party with the ex-communist Democrats of the Left. The DP, he now says, will break with the idea of coalition, fighting this election alone. This is being greeted as a big gamble, which suits Mr Veltroni just fine, but is actually cold calculation. There was no way to market the same old squabbling bunch as an attractive new team. Besides, polls show that more voters would back the DP if it cut loose from the hard Left. Mr Veltroni goes farther: what he is selling is himself. And a most marketable commodity he is.

“SuperWalter” is everything that Il Cavaliere is not, all bella figura (socially accomplished) to Silvio's brutta figura (can't take the man anywhere). A writer and film buff, he has been dubbed Buonismo, roughly translatable as Mr Nice Guy. He is a luvvie's dream candidate who has put Rome back on the cultural map. He entered politics as a communist (even editing L'Unità, the party paper), but morphed seamlessly into an admirer of the Kennedys. His new model? Barack Obama. He has even echoed Obama's slogan, “Yes we can”, and talks about “turning the page” and “the end of an era of brawls and hatred”. His pitch is that Mr Berlusconi, 71, is the man of the past who disappointed everybody, and that he, a mere 52, is the man of “renewal” . But he says it politely.

Labels: Elections, Italy, Walter Veltroni

Italy - New Bravo engine boosts Fiat's green credentials

A new diesel engine, introduced initially for use in the Bravo range, has again demonstrated Fiat Group’s commitment to the production of increasingly environmentally-friendly cars. Fiat’s new 1.6 MultiJet 16v unit, announced just last week, promises sparkling performance, outstanding torque, increased noise suppression and lower running costs for the Bravo range. The addition also makes Bravo the first car in its category to be fitted with a Euro 5-compliant engine, well ahead of the 2009 deadline.

Labels: Car Industry, Fiat, Italy

Italy’s Prodi to resign after losing vote - by Guy Dinmore

Italy’s centre-left government fell on Thursday night after narrowly losing a tumultuous vote of confidence in the senate despite desperate attempts by Romano Prodi, prime minister, to prolong the life of his weakened coalition against the advice of allies. Mr Prodi intended to submit his resignation immediately to President Giorgio Napolitano, a spokesman for the prime minister said. The president may seek the formation of a caretaker government or call early elections.

Labels: EU, Italy, Prodi

Italy in suspense amid signs Prodi may resign before Senate vote

Italy in suspense amid signs Prodi may resign before Senate vote

Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi, facing shrinking odds of winning a vote of confidence in the opposition-controlled Senate, is considering resigning instead of facing the test, media reports said Wednesday. Citing government sources, the reports said President Giorgio Napolitano advised Prodi not to submit to the vote set for Thursday in the Senate. The centre-left's slim majority in the upper house evaporated this week with the defection of a small centrist Catholic party.

Labels: EU, Italy, Prodi

Italy's Prodi sees strong euro impact on energy imports curbing trade deficit

Italy's prime minister Romano Prodi sees the strong euro cutting the cost of imported energy fuels, bringing down the country's trade deficit with the rest of the world, said a source close to Prodi. Speaking after yesterday's summit between Prodi and German chancellor Angela Merkel, the source said both countries with their strong industrial sectors are seeing a similar trend in the trade balances with the rest of the world.

Note EU-Digest: It is shameful how some corporations in Europe including petro-chemical corporations are profiting from the strong euro and not passing these benefits on to the consumer. Consumers in the EU are not seeing the price of gasoline (which is tied to the dollar) drop, or for that matter just about any product which is bought outside the EU and quoted in US dollars. For example Nike shoes (made in the Far East) selling in America for around US $ 65.00 (43 euro's) are still being listed in Europe for over 100 euro's. Instead of whining about the strong euro European politicians should go after corporations who are price gouching and getting away with making huge profits.

Labels: EU, European Economy, Germany, Italy, Merkel, Prodi

Soccer - Euro 2008 - Lippi: Italy Could Win Euro 2008

Marcelo Lippi believes that Italy can go all the way at next summer's UEFA European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland. The veteran boss, who won the World Cup with the Azzurri last year, remarked, "This Italy squad comprises fantastic players who haven't given up their hunger for victory. Italy scraped past Scotland at Hampden yesterday, shattering the hosts' 100% home record in qualification and, moreover, sealing Italy's place in next summer's tournament.

Labels: Euro Cup 2008, Italy, Soccer

EU reallocates seats over Italy's objections

The European Parliament approved a new division of seats on Thursday despite protests from Italy, which has threatened to block the rearrangement at an EU summit next week due to approve a new treaty for the bloc.

The redistribution to better reflect the size of populations in the 27-nation European Union is meant to accompany the approval of the reform treaty, which raises the number of MEPs (members of the European Parliament) to 750 from 736 envisaged by the previous treaty. EU leaders need unanimity to adopt the change when they meet in Lisbon on Oct. 18-19.

Labels: EU, EU CONSTITUTION, European Parliament, Italy

Italy to consider Ryanair offer for Milan airport

An offer by Irish airline Ryanair to begin operating out of Milan's Malpensa airport in place of Italian carrier Alitalia will be "considered", Italy's transport minister said Saturday. "It would be mad not to examine an offer of a billion euros (1.4 billion dollars)," Alessandro Bianchi said in Saturday's edition of the Corriere della sera daily.

"I cannot judge this offer from a technical point of view but if a company as large as Ryanair decides to make such an investment, its offer must be considered."

Labels: EU, Italy, Ryanair

First Eurofighter with passive infrared search and track delivered to Italian Air Force

The first Eurofighter Typhoon with an on-board Pirate infrared search and track (IRST) has been delivered to Italian Aeronautica Militare. The aircraft is part of the Tranche 1 batch 5 of the international Eurofighter program and operates from the Grosseto base in Tuscany. Designed and produced by Galileo Avionica, the Pirate performs the same tasks of radar, but operates in a totally passive mode, without electromagnetic radiation, by detecting heat emanating from various targets. This is a crucial feature that enhances tactical superiority because it makes detection of the aircraft more difficult. Leveraging state-of-the-art technologies, the Pirate combines the capabilities of IRST and forward-looking infrared (FLIR). The Pirate is compact so that the electronics can be installed inside the aircraft, while the search-head sensor emerges at the left side of the nose, in front of the windshield.

Labels: EU, EuroFighter, Italy

Italian PM "bitter" over anti-European attitudes at summit

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi admitted feeling "bitter" over the lack of pro-European sentiment on display at the EU summit this week, in an interview published Sunday in the La Repubblica daily. "As a politician, I am of course satisfied with the result" of the summit, which ended with an agreement on a new treaty for the European Union, "but as a pro-European, let me be bitter at the spectacle I saw," said Prodi, the former chief of the European Commission.

"The determination of governments to deny any emotional aspect of Europe is painful to me," he said, citing Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Britain as the worst offenders.

Labels: Britain, EU SUMMIT, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic

Italy - Prodi Hopes His Ministers Avoid Anti-Bush Rally in Rome

When U.S. President George W. Bush visits Rome next week he will be met with pomp and ceremony by Italy's leaders, but also by an angry anti-war demonstration which some government ministers have said they might attend. Prime Minister Romano Prodi said on Saturday he hoped none of his ministers -- some of them hard-line communists -- would attend the rally, although he would not ban them from doing so.

Labels: Bush, EU, Italy, Prodi

Italy's Eurofighters near readiness-by Luca Peruzzi

Italian air force use of the Eurofighter Typhoon is gaining momentum, with the service's first frontline squadron expecting to achieve full operational capability with the type in late 2008.

Some 35 pilots are now flying the aircraft, including more than 20 to have achieved combat-ready status and others who are conducting squadron exchanges from the US and European air forces. "This summer the first cadre of ab initio pilots will begin training at 20 Squadron, a syllabus requiring around seven months," says 9 Sqn commander Lt Col Daniele Picco. The work will be supported using simulators at Alenia's Turin Caselle plant and a Galileo Avionica facility in Ronchi dei Legioniari.

Labels: EU, Euro Fighter, Italy

A girl on each knee - paparazzi pictures make Berlusconi sweat -- by John Hooper

Silvio Berlusconi's famously stormy marriage looked as though it was heading back into choppy waters yesterday, two months after his wife humiliated him into a public apology for flirting with TV showgirls.

An Italian magazine announced it was to publish photographs of the media tycoon relaxing with no less than five young women at his Sardinian villa. In one picture he is shown with a girl on each knee. In others, he is seen walking hand in hand with one or more of his ladies guests.

Labels: EU, Italy, Silvio Berlusconi

480 US nuclear warheads in Europe

A documentary aired on Italian TV channel, RAI 24, has claimed that the U.S. military is keeping 480 nuclear warheads across Europe, 90 in Italy. Fifty of the warheads are being kept at Aviano Air Base, north-east of Italy and forty others at a military facility near Brescia. The documentary warns of possible nuclear strikes against countries in the Middle East.

Pointing to remarks made by NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Weapons of Mass Destruction policy, Guy Roberts, the documentary emphasizes that all sovereign countries have the right to call on the U.S. government to remove all its nuclear weapons from their soil.

Labels: EU, Italy, Nato, Nuclear, USA, War, Weapons of mass destruction