About: Italy
Italy enjoys oversized ECB support as debt balloons
Italy enjoyed oversized purchases of its government debt by the European Central Bank in June and July, standing out as the main beneficiary of ECB efforts to support the virus-stricken euro zone economy, data showed on Monday (3 August).
Gas grid operators unveil plan for European hydrogen infrastructure ‘backbone’
A group of eleven European gas infrastructure companies from nine EU member states presented on Friday (17 July) a plan to create a dedicated hydrogen pipeline network of almost 23,000 km by 2040, to be used in parallel to the natural gas grid.
For Italy, time is of the essence, Conte tells Merkel
Five days before an EU summit that could adopt a historic EU budget and a recovery fund, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met Angela Merkel in Berlin. Both support a generous aid fund and both want an agreement at the weekend. But for Conte, the economic survival of his country is at stake. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Italy will not accept ‘weak compromise’ on EU recovery fund, PM says
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Tuesday (7 July) the European Union must act decisively to build a common response to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, urging that support measures be activated rapidly.
Italy no longer among EU’s ‘top 5’ host countries for asylum seekers
For the first time since 2015, asylum applications in the EU started to rise again in 2019. However, Italy is no longer among the main host countries while Germany retains its top spot. EURACTIV Italy reports.
Conte reassures EU that virus recovery funds will be spent wisely
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday (16 June) sought to reassure Europe that forthcoming coronavirus recovery funds would be spent wisely to revive the battered economy after a crippling lockdown.
Germany says coronavirus tracing app ready to go, as Italian privacy fears ease
Germany’s smartphone app to trace coronavirus infections is ready to be launched this week, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Sunday (14 June).
Rescue boats return to the Mediterranean as 20,000 migrants prepare to cross from Libya
Two charity boats have headed back to the Mediterranean after a two-month hiatus in migrant rescue operations, as humanitarian groups await a new wave of arrivals.
Virus puts brakes on Salvini’s far-right message in Italy
Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy's far right, has seen his popularity drop as the coronavirus pandemic has drowned out his anti-immigrant message, but his League party remains a potent threat to the government.
Protests roll on against ‘worldwide’ racism
Demonstrators in Rome held their fists in the air and chanted “No Justice! No Peace!” on Sunday (7 July), while in London people defying official warnings not to gather lay down outside the US Embassy as part of a rolling, global anti-racism movement.
Europe’s COVID crisis does little to disparage Mediterranean migrants
Alfa Jafo has spent the last few months working in the kitchen at a restaurant in the historic city of Agadez in Niger, a launchpad for irregular migration in the Sahel. Asked if the COVID-19 pandemic has killed his dream of going to Europe, Jafo looks genuinely puzzled and says 'No'.
European Digital Media Observatory launched in Florence to analyse disinformation
The European Digital Media Observatory, which aims to analyse disinformation, was launched on Monday (1 June) in Florence. Funded by the EU, it brings together researchers and experts in media literacy. EURACTIV Italy reports.
Austria lifting coronavirus border checks with all neighbours bar Italy
Austria is lifting coronavirus-related border restrictions including quarantines for all neighbouring countries except Italy as of Thursday (4 June), the foreign minister said on Wednesday.
ECB seen beefing up eurozone support as pandemic persists
Most analysts expect the European Central Bank on Thursday (4 June) to beef up its emergency bond-buying scheme with hundreds of billions of euros to weather the coronavirus pandemic, providing governments with the breathing space to decide their own response.
Italians least satisfied with EU’s coronavirus response
According to a survey carried out for the European Parliament, Italians are the least satisfied EU citizens when it comes to the EU's response to the coronavirus crisis. EURACTIV Italy reports.
Coronavirus creates repair headache for oil and gas industry
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted maintenance at oil and gas projects and refineries from Russia’s Far East to the coast of Canada, storing up problems for an industry already reeling from slumping prices, analysts say.
Italy to reopen borders for EU tourists in early June
Italy will reopen to European tourists from early June and scrap a 14-day mandatory quarantine period, the government said on Saturday (16 May), as it quickened the exit from the coronavirus lockdown.
Fears mount over migrants dying ‘out of sight’ in Mediterranean
More and more migrants are crossing, Europe is closing its ports and no humanitarian ships are carrying out rescues. As the coronavirus pandemic dominates headlines, activists fear the Mediterranean is the scene of an overlooked "tragedy".
EPP proposes law to protect small farmers against oligarchs
The European People's Party group called on Wednesday (13 May) for an EU law to prevent oligarchs and land-grabbers drawing on EU subsidies at the expense of small and medium-sized farming businesses. The practice is widespread in countries in Eastern Europe and Italy.
Migrant workers regularisation puts strain on Italy’s ruling coalition
A standoff between Italy's ruling parties on the regularisation of illegal migrants working as agricultural labourers is slowing down the adoption of the latest aid package aimed at supporting families and companies during the lockdown.
Italy to give further support to companies including tax incentives, hybrid bonds
Italy's government is readying new measures to support companies struggling due to the coronavirus crisis, including tax incentives and hybrid bonds, and aims to access the European Recovery Fund in the second half of the year, Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said on Sunday (10 May).
EU proposes scrapping usual conditions for ESM use in virus battle
The European Commission on Thursday (7 May) proposed scrapping the usual conditions for countries using the eurozone’s bailout fund as they try to revive their economies hit by the coronavirus epidemic. The proposal may make the fund more palatable for...
Russian COVID-19 aid to Italy: PR stunt or covert operation?
Russia’s aid operation to Italy over the Covid-19 crisis was named “From Russia with Love”, after a James Bond movie. Ironically, what was assumed to be a public relations stunt looks more like espionage, according to sources quoted by EURACTIV Bulgaria.