About: Italy
COVID-19 is putting Italy’s populists to bed
In political terms, the biggest casualty of COVID-19 in Italy are the country’s populists. Being anti-vax and anti-EU no longer works when the country needs both to exit the crisis. They will change their rhetoric – but lose their punch in the process, writes Elettra Ardissino.
The news you possibly missed: TAP pipeline up and running
Neither the COVID-19 pandemic nor the Nagorno-Karabakh war could stop Azerbaijan from finalizing the TAP project, and the first Azerbaijani gas had been already supplied to European consumers, writes Shahmar Hajiyev.
Reclaiming the future for cities after COVID-19
Cities have been hit the hardest by the corona pandemic. Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, declares a state of social and economic emergency for his city and many others across Europe. And he argues that cities are key for a sustainable recovery in Europe.
The EU’s new migration policy is a gift to the far-right
Far from taking the refugee issue away from the far-right, the EU's new migration policy plan will simply hand the far-right a grievance it can exploit for years to come, writes Faisal Al Yafai.
A European ‘Mare Nostrum’ instead of Operation Sophia 2.0
An EU mission within the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy is not the adequate instrument for controversial domestic issues such as migration, writes Tobias Pietz.
Germany and Italy’s migration schemes are simply ways to avoid uncomfortable truths
The issue of migrants entering Europe will dominate the European Parliament's upcoming session, but the proposals already put forward are simple remakes of previously failed plans for the migrant crisis, writes Faisal Al Yafai.
Mr Xi’s European tour is response to US-China rift
Since ascending to China’s top leadership, Xi Jinping has become well-known for his frequent overseas travels. Now that the annual session of the National People’s Congress is nearly over, the Chinese president can look forward to a busy international agenda, writes Philippe Le Corre.
Member states must not let Commission stand against Italy alone
The rejection of Italy’s draft budget by the European Commission on Tuesday is unprecedented in the history of the Stability and Growth Pact. Member states cannot sit idly by but must take a more active role in the political conflict over fiscal sovereignty.
Ireland’s Yes vote ushers in a new era for women’s rights in Europe
EU institutions should be emboldened to take concrete actions to defend reproductive freedom across the whole of Europe after Irish citizens voted massively in favour of repealing the country’s abortion ban, writes Caroline Hickson.
Blocked humanity
The Dublin regulation, allocating asylum claims to the first port of call on a migrant's journey, is unfit for purpose. The European Parliament has come to a shared position that guarantees fair treatment of refugees and shared responsibility in the EU. Now it's up to member states to do their share, writes Cornelia Ernst.
Europe’s quiet offensive against people helping refugees
Three years ago today (31 October), EU pressure on Italy forced the end of one the EU’s most successful humanitarian missions, ‘Mare Nostrum’, a search-and-rescue operation that in just one year brought 130,000 refugees safely to Europe’s shores. Ben Hayes and Frank Barat look back on three years since the end of Operation Mare Nostrum.
Climate coalition: Pray the G20 succeeds where G7 failed
Italy, Germany and France’s over eagerness to insist that the Paris Agreement is non-negotiable was a golden ticket for Washington’s climate change deniers. Europe shot itself in the foot, warns Corrado Clini.
Migration: A safe investment in humanity
Instead of a responding to today’s migration challenges from a position of strength, Europe has reacted in fear. This has to change, warns Eugenio Ambrosi.
Southern Gas Corridor’s dubious contribution to energy security
Advertised by the EU as the silver bullet that will free Europe from its dependency on Russian gas, the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) is highly unlikely to ensure energy security and might in fact end up channelling Russian gas, warns Xavier Sol.
Tunisia underestimates imminent North Africa refugee crisis
Tunisia has signed agreements with the EU for the return of illegal Tunisian immigrants and to host asylum seekers from other African countries. But Tunis is now denying those deals, writes Mourad Teyeb.
As Russia’s gas market gets weaker, Europe gets stronger
The Southern Gas Corridor, pipeline interconnectors and LNG terminals, particularly in the northeast, have slowly but steadily been weakening Russia's pipeline hegemony, writes Agnia Grigas.
Does corruption threaten Europe?
Current debate rarely attributes the rise of populism in European politics to the perceived prevalence of corruption. Yet public opinion often shows that citizens believe their representatives to be corrupt, write Laurence Cockcroft and Anne-Christine Wegener.
CETA and the crumbling Grand Coalition
European Parliament President Martin Schulz hasn’t vacated his post yet but talk of the Grand Coalition falling apart is already rife in Brussels. Final approval of CETA could be a huge opportunity for the socialists to claw back some ground, writes Pieter de Pous.
From Brexit to Trump: Transatlantic Allies in an era of unpredictability
Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as US President is not just a test for EU leaders and institutions, it’s test of free citizens in free societies, write Geoffrey Harris and Tim Oliver.
Europe’s ‘working poor’ and populism are on the rise
Driven by a labour market recovery, EU citizens’ opportunities for social participation have improved slightly for the first time since 2008. But not everyone is benefiting. A high risk of poverty persists in many countries, especially in southern Europe, warn Daniel Schraad-Tischler and Christof Schiller.
Joy and despair in European statistics
Europe needs more than temporary growth to boost its economy, write George Friedman and Antonia Colibasanu.
Financial crime knows no borders: Europe needs to join forces to fight it
Criminal activity knows no borders, so the European Commissioner for Justice and two MEPs here reiterate the need for Europe to come together and set up a European Public Prosecutor that can stop criminals in their tracks.
More services integration needed to reinvigorate Europe
Goods can be traded freely across the EU, but the same cannot, in practice, be said of services. Less restrictions in the sector would yield enormous economic benefits, argue Arup Banerij, Doerte Doemeland and Sanja Madžarević Šujster.