Meeting in Como on 15 June at the European Business Press (EBP) 50th anniversary, politicians and media leaders from Greece, Italy and France advocated renegotiating the terms of the Greek deal with the upcoming new government. They demanded faster EU action.
“Reviewing the memorandum should not be a taboo: in particular, we should take into consideration the idea of relaxing the deficit targets for 2013 and 2014. If Greece falls, we all fall,” said Gianni Pittella, vice president of the European Parliament.
Greece should be handled in the same way as Spain, giving the country softer conditions to put its house in order, added Pittella, who also called for stronger EU leadership overall.
“The activism of the European Central Bank is not enough. ... It’s like aspirin,” he said, rejecting a fiscal union beyond the control of the Parliament and the Commission.
Italian officials anticipated that the Italian deficit will be further reduced. Dario Scannapieco, vice president of the European Investment Bank (EIB), recalled that it lends more than other institutions, and hopes to contribute more if EIB’s capital gets an increase of €10 billion.
Luca di Montezemolo, chairman of Ferrari, was awarded the ‘EBP manager of the year’ prize. For him, Italy and Europe have a culture, a lifestyle, and brands that can make wonder. For example, European carmakers’ exports to China are increasing by 50% yearly.
Michele Norsa, CEO of Salvatore Ferregamo, rejoiced that the luxury sector still grows, albeit slower than before the crisis.
