Which Italy will we see on Monday?

So here we are!

Tomorrow is the Election day in Italy. After 5 years, we will have a new Parliament and a new (maybe) Government.

But which is the picture of Italy today? And how will it change since the next week?

Whilst from abroad the Italian political arena is a funny show with hilarious characters (see John Oliver video), the reality is really sad. In the last five years we have seen different governments with no clear strategic view on the future of the country. And it is very probable that on Monday we will have no real winner (thanks to the new electoral law) and a government supported by heterogeneous political forces will be probably formed.

During the electoral campaign, the candidates have promised everything as I wrote few weeks ago in this blog. I talked to many friends who really didn't know for which party to vote. And we are even worried about the comeback of Silvio Berlusconi, at the lovely age of 81 years.

In the last years the economy went a little bit better but many structural problems still stay in Italy: corruption, bureaucracy, taxis, fiscal evasion, immigration policies and many others.

But in an article published recently, it was highlighted how the education is the most important and urgent problem for Italy. The government cut the budget for education in the last decade more than the other European countries, there are less people with an University Degree, but even less job offers for specialized role.

Yes, that's the point. In a global economy, education is the key for success, without it there is no future. And where is the ruling class who will bring us to the future?

Let's be optimistic, and GOOD LUCK to us!

  

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How much do the promises of the Italian politicians cost?

This is an important year for Italy: in few weeks the Political Elections will take place. And the electoral campaign already started, with a bunch of unrealistic promises from the opponents.  

Renzi, former Prime Minister, is proposing - for instance - the abolition of the tax to the national public broadcasting company Rai. This would cost 1.8 billion Eur per year. The new left led by the current President of the Senate Grasso, is proposing instead the abolition of the University taxes, at the cost of almost 2 billion euros per year. Of course, those will be the first elections in which the generation born in 2000 will go to vote.

On the right side, we have seen the back on the political stage of the eternal outsider Silvio Berlusconi, who is proposing the abolition of almost all the taxes: for cars, for donations, for inheritance plus a new fiscal system of flat tax (40 billions). He and his alley - Lega Nord - are also proposing the abolition of the last pension reform, that will cost the impressive amount of 80 billions euro/year since 2025.

The Moviment 5 Stelle, that has good chances to win the elections, is proposing the creation of a "citizen income" that would cost 15 billions per year.

Politicians are doing to many promises that are unrealistic but they are not explain us how we can develop resources, work, wealth in a country that is in permanent decline since three decades. 

Political leadership is looking at the people who have interests to defend (pensions, salaries, properties,...) and they are not providing a vision of how we will handle our future. 

Italian electoral campaign is funny and desolately sad at the same time.

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If you are interested in the cost of the electoral promises, you can take a look at this article published by La Repubblica (sorry, in Italian).

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Movimento 5 Stelle and Podemos: two sides of a different coin

Tomorrow in Italy it will take place the second round of the municipality elections in many important cities. In particular, Turin and Rome could become the first big cities with a major of the Movimento 5 Stelle.

In Europe there is already a similar case, in Spain where Podemos already governs Madrid and Barcelona.

Even if it would be easy to compare those two experiences, actually Podemos and M5S are very different.

Podemos is the political expression of the Indignados movement. They first created a network of  mutual support and then part of the movement entered in the political arena. Still now, Podemos is linked to the territory and it has a more left orientation.

M5S has a more top-down structure, where the leader Beppe Grillo plays a key role in all the main political decisions. Moreover, the political view is more ambiguous, touching issues of protest, and some typical perspective from the left and from the right at the same time.

Both Podemos and M5S did probably a mistake at the national level. They decided not to form a government when they could, as they didn't want to negotiate with other political forces. For the Madrid and Barcelona cases, Podemos had to do that, with good results.

We will see what it will happen in Turin and Rome, but for sure a huge change is coming in Italy and we cannot predict the consequences neither locally neither at the national level.

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The decline of Berlusconi - le retour de la momie?

Few days ago, Silvio Berlusconi participated in a political meeting in Bologna (the most left-oriented city in Italy) that has ratified the alliance with the Lega Nord party.

Berlusconi and the leader of Lega Nord Matteo Salvini

Is this a return of Berlusconi?

Two considerations are needed to answer.

First, the season of the former Prime Minister ended years ago. He was the head of the Government for four times in the last  20 years. He was the deus ex machina of the Italian political system also having a large support of the electorate and a huge power in the Parliament. But if we consider the results he got, we can just see a lack of decisionism and a weakness against the main lobbies of the country.

Second, if he was able to come back to the political scene, it would be anyway as support of Matteo Salvini, the leader of Lega Nord, who has radicalized the political debate with positions xenophobes and anti-Eu. The risk for Berlusconi is to become a mascotte more than a leader.

We all remember when he left Palazzo Chigi for the last time (November 2011). When he decided to participate in the political elections 2013 Libération cover had the title "Le retour de la momie?" and Berlusconi's face. 

Who is writing this post has never been a supporter of Berlusconi. Anyway, it is very sad seeing a person of 79 years who has not the strength to leave the political scene. An act that could facilitate the creation of new forces in the centre-right political area.

Yesterday Helmut Shmidt died. He served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. When he left the Government and the Parliament in the 80s, he continued to make politics in a non-institutional way. Another kind of politician.

Libération (2012)
Regarding the participation of Berlusconi at the Political Elections 2013 after having left the Government in 2011

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Immigration: the face of an Europe we don't want!

What it is happening in Italy and in Europe in these days is a shame.

3279 immigrants died in 2014 in the Mediterranean Sea, and this year there are already 1754 victims. The 18th of April one only incident in the Sicilian Channel caused more than 700 victims. 

And what is Europe doing?

Immigrants at the Milan Station (2015)

The Governments are talking about rules, law and national competencies. In the meantime, today in some train stations in Italy (like in Milan and Rome), there are hundreds of immigrants that want to reach their families in the north of Europe but Schengen has been temporary suspended and they actually live in the stations.

Egoism seems the predominant feeling in these days all around Europe, when the topic is the immigration, as well as the Greek crisis or the social policies for the people with less opportunities.

In a very interesting article published on the Italian newspaper La Stampa, it was reported that 170 thousand immigrants "destibilized" Europe last year, but Turkey had to face to an immigration from Syria and Iraq of more than 2 million of people and Lebanon - a country of 4 million of inhabitants - hosts 2 millions of refugees.

Europe is the biggest economy in the world. Even in this difficult period, we should not forget that solidarity is one of the most important value of our common roots.

Should we leave people sleeping and living under the bridges or in the stations? Is this the Europe we want? Is this the spirit we want to pass on the new generations?

I don't.

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Italy - Libya: which are the real interests involved?

The situation in Libya seems getting worse and worse and also the Italian Embassy in Tripoli has closed few days ago due to the ISIS advance in the Country.

The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs has declared that Rome is ready for a military operation under the auspices of United Nations. The official reason is that Libya is so close to Italy that Isis could become a serious problem for the national security. 

But which are the Italian interests in its former colony? Why Libya is so much more important for Rome than Syria or Iraq?

After the Libyan Independence in 1947, and even after the Gaddafi coup in 1969, the economic relationship between Rome and Tripoli have been kept strong.

The total trade between those two Countries is around 11 Billion Euro per year. It was the double just in 2008, but after the political crisis, the trade has decreased, reaching the lowest point in 2011 (when Gaddafi died), at 4.5 Billion. The main businesses are gas and oil, that represent the 90% of the total import from Libya to Italy.

Brieafly, Libya produces less than 2% of the World oil, but Italy import the 25% of its total energetic need from Tripoli; without considering the contracts got by Italian companies for the construction of bridges, streets, and the supply of arms.

That is why Rome cannot risk to lose such a partner. We will see in the next weeks and months what will happen. Let's just avoid to hide economic interests under the reasons of pace and stabilization of the area.

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Italy: the extraordinary commonplace?

Living abroad gives you the opportunity to see how deep the stereotypes about your own Country are.

Sometimes they can be an advantage. Italians, for instance, are seen as latin lovers with emotional, romantic and passionate nature. And this can be a good help in romantic affairs, even if those caractheristics are often associated with less worthy elements, like being loud, unreliable and mummy's boy.

As well, foreigners love thinking Italy as the place of the sun, the sea and the good food, but also as a Country complicated, with a byzantine political system, a weak economy and a marginal relevance in the World.

Everything false? Of course not: all those commonplaces came from some real characteristics.

So, who are the Italians? What is Italy?

Few weeks ago the Italian Government has been presented a video, entitled "Italy: the extraordinary commonplace" to show the achievements of Italy in the last century. 

So, we discover that Italy is a World leader in major infrastructures and in pharmaceutic. Italy has been also one of the first Countries to send a Satellite into orbit after US and Soviet Union and it is the World leader in the production of luxury yachts.

Without considering the role of Italy in history, culture and arts: in Italy for example, there is the highest concentration of Unesco Sites in the whole World and its movie production got the highest number of Academy Awards for foreign movies (14). 

Not so bad for a country of 60 million people, often considered weak and in a permanent and irremediable decline.

To be honest, Italy is also one of the Country with the highest tax evasion in the World, it is ranked 73rd regarding the press freedom and 69th for the corruption.

And Italians? 

Like in every Country, you can find people closer to the classic stereotype, as well very far from it.
Dreamers? Maybe. Lazy? Sometimes. Optimistic? The most part.

"What is the fatal charm of Italy? What do we find there that can be found nowhere else? I believe it is a certain permission to be human, which other places, other countries, lost long ago" - Erica Jong

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The importance of being a Unesco World Heritage Site

Few days ago, Italy got another Unesco World Heritage Site, the area of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato, famous all over the world for its vineyard.

A UNESCO Site is a place recognized as of special cultural or physical significance. The criteria to be able to become a Site are defined in a Convention adopted by UN in 1972. The main element to identify a Site is the uniqueness it represents for human history or natural phenomena.

From 1972, there have been created 981 World Heritage Sites, located in 160 different Countries, the most part in Europe and North America. Following the top 10 list of the Countries with most number of Sites:

  1)   Italy - 50 
  2)   China - 47
  3)   Spain - 44
  4)   Germany - 39
  5)   France  - 39
  6)   Mexico - 32
  7)   India - 32
  8)   Uk - 28
  9)   Russia - 26
10)   US - 22

Considering the long procedure to became a Unesco Site (for instance, the candidature of Langhe-Roero began 10 years ago), why is it so important to enter in the Unesco List? Are there real benefit of being a World Heritage Site?

First, when a place becomes part of World Heritage it can have more easily access to National and International Founds. Then, a new Site can increase the number of tourists. From the other side, the prestigious given by being part of Unesco List involves also keeping in a good status the Site itself. This requires further investments and a system of control for the site.

The influence of "UNESCO Brand" is difficult to calculate. Some surveys have estimated that it can touch the 30% of tourists. But there are other elements that influence the tourism of a specific place, from marketing to the accessibility. Moreover, most of the sites were already touristic centers and in some cases the Unesco recognition didn't affect visitors inflow. 

Finally, it seems important to point out that the World Heritage List has been often criticized. From one site, there is a distortion in the number of sites: 496 out of 962 are from North America and Europe, the richest part of the world. Furthermore, the number itself of the sites has raised quickly in the last decades, and the designation has lost part of its uniqueness. The debate to reform the system is still open and regards both the improvement of the criteria to indentify a site, and also the number of the sites can be in the list each year. But for the moment nothing really seems to change.

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Can the Italian Democratic Party be a new model for European Socialists?

The last European Elections has largely confirmed the previsions: Eurosceptics have got many votes and the abstaining has touched another record.

The only surprise of these Elections has been Italy. The Democratic Party (Partito Democratico PD), leaded by Matteo Renzi, has won the European Elections 2014 with the 40% of votes, +13% in comparison with the result of the National Political Election in 2013. This is the best result ever got by the PD since it was born in 2007.

The victory has two main causes. First, the other competitors have done mistakes in the electoral campaign (the case of Movimento 5 Stelle) or have had a too weak leadership (the case of Berlusconi's Party Forza Italia).

Second and most important element to comprehend this victory is the charismatic figure of Matteo Renzi. The former Major of Florence has conquered PD in December 2013, becoming Party Secretary. In a couple of months, following the contrasts with the Former Prime Minister Enrico Letta (PD member himself), Renzi finally became Head of the Government.

Renzi's political view followed two main guidelines: from one hand, he proposed the turnover of the political leadership and a strong reduction of the costs of politics. From the other, he never put in discussion the participation of Italy in the European Union and the respect of the Institutions. In this way, he could compete with other more populist political forces during the electoral campaign, but at the same time, he could keep an strong appeal to the more traditional part of the electorate.

Considering the advance of Eurosceptics in the last elections, can we consider PD as a new model for European social-democratic Parties, many of them in a huge crisis?

Of course, each Country is different. But two considerations can be done: first, the most part of Europeans are still favorable to Eu integration. On the long period, attacking the Union could become a boomerang. Second, changing of leadership should be probably one of the most important topic to face by many Parties that lost the European elections. Nevertheless, changes must be also substantial.

Finally, it is possible that this time Italy will be able to show a positive example for European Partners. We will see in the next months, especially during the Italian Eu Presidency Semester.

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