Tag: Italy

The European Commission has raised questions about the way Italian telecoms watchdog AGCOM arrived at the changes it plans to make to wholesale broadband prices, claiming they could cramp the market's ability to decide prices in Italy.

As Italy's renewed political credibility helps boost growth forecasts, the government needs to seize the opportunity to speak with a louder voice in the EU, the Italian ambassador to the EU, Stefano Sannino, told EurActiv Italy.

Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta rebuked Europe for its handling of the Greek crisis on Monday (29 July), saying the harsh austerity imposed on Athens had deepened the recession and worsened unemployment across the continent.

The soaps industry on Friday (7 June) launched a campaign to get Europeans to use a 30ºC washing cycle, saying just a 3º heat drop in a few countries would save enough energy to power the Italian city of Parma for a year.

Italy said French President François Hollande's call for a joint European economic government should be considered, Foreign Minister Emma Bonino said on Friday (17 May).

New Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta will seek parliamentary backing in a confidence vote today (29 April), with severe political and economic problems looming that will test the solidity of his three-party coalition government.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano yesterday (24 April) asked centre-left politician Enrico Letta to form a new government, signalling the end of a damaging two-month stalemate since elections in the eurozone's third largest economy in February.

The re-election of Giorgio Napolitano as Italy’s president has ended a two-month political gridlock and paves the way to a possible new government within days.

Centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani has failed in his attempt to find a way out of Italy's political deadlock and President Giorgio Napolitano whose term ends mid-May will now seek another solution, the president's palace said yesterday (28 March).

Pier Luigi Bersani, leader of Italy’s centre-left bloc, is scheduled to meet Silvio Berlusconi’s deputies today (26 March) in an effort to form a coalition government to end a month-long impasse.

President Giorgio Napolitano is considering appointing a new technocrat government led by a non-politician as one way out of Italy's political stalemate, Italian officials said yesterday (5 March).

INTERVIEW / A newly-elected parliamentarian for the Italian Five Star Movement (5SM), led by former comic Beppe Grillo, told EurActiv that the EU suffered from serious structural flaws, which are "unsustainable" in the long run. The party wants to open a debate on Italy's euro membership.

The Italian crisis not only threatens to return instability to the eurozone, but it also shows that Germany’s efforts to ensure new governments align with Berlin’s strategy are becoming increasingly difficult, writes Stratfor.

A grand coalition of Bersani-Berlusconi can provide Italy the stability Italy needs, Franco Frattini, a former European commissioner, tells EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

The Italian election results point towards further instability and coalition gridlock as Pier Luigi Bersani and Silvio Berlusconi failed to clinch a majority in either legislative chamber. The 5-Star Movement, led by Beppe Grillo, emerged as the strongest party.

Italians head to the polls on 24-25 February to replace a technocratic government charged with halting the country’s economic and fiscal decline. But after wearying months of austerity and instability, voters appeared to have no clear favourite among familiar faces as well as wildcard candidates. EurActiv Italia reports.

The eurozone slipped deeper into recession in the last three months of 2012 after its largest economies, Germany and France, shrank markedly at the end of the year. It marked the currency bloc's first full year in which no quarter produced growth, extending back to 1995.

Greece, Portugal and Spain are rapidly reversing the loss of wage competitiveness that was a significant cause of the eurozone crisis, new figures showed today (30 January). The report also looks at labour cost evolution in Germany, France and Britain.

Silvio Berlusconi withdrew as candidate for Italy's prime ministerial post on Monday (7 January) as the price of a pact with the devolutionist Northern League, marking the latest twist in the election campaign in the eurozone's third biggest economy.

Outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Monday (31 December) he was aiming to win a majority in a parliamentary election in February and would seek alliances with parties agreeing with his pro-Europe agenda.

European partners urged the next Italian government on Monday (10 December) to stick to Prime Minister Mario Monti's reform agenda, after his decision to resign early and Silvio Berlusconi's return to frontline politics rattled financial markets.

Italy should reassure markets that its economic reforms will not be reversed after Silvio Berlusconi's PDL party withdrew support for the government, OECD chief economist Pier Carlo Padoan said on Friday (7 December).

Pier Luigi Bersani, the determinedly prosaic leader of Italy's Democratic Party, promised supporters he would not tell them "fairy tales", after his overwhelming victory yesterday (2 December) at a primary to pick the centre-left candidate in next year's election.