Recent quotes:
Italy must choose between the euro and its own economic survival
"Italy is enormously vulnerable. It has gone through a whole global recovery with no growth," said Simon Tilford from the Centre for European Reform. "Core inflation is at dangerously low levels. The government has almost no policy ammunition to fight recession." Italy needs root-and-branch reform but that is by nature contractionary in the short-run. It is viable only with a blast of investment to cushion the shock, says Mr Tilford, but no such New Deal is on the horizon. Legally, the EU Fiscal Compact obliges Italy to do the exact opposite: to run budget surpluses large enough to cut its debt ratio by 3.6pc of GDP every year for twenty years. Do you laugh or cry?Brussels chiefs set to blow £24m on propaganda push to try and show how great the EU is
We hand £350 million a week to Brussels each week – money we should be spending on our priorities at home, not blown on bankrolling Juncker’s travelling circus.”Monti: “Con l’Europa toni sbagliati. Servono azioni più profonde” - La Stampa
Nessuno meglio di Mario Monti può dare un giudizio sullo stato dei rapporti fra Italia, Germania ed Europa. Già duro commissario alla concorrenza - una volta riunì in una stanza tutti e sedici i presidenti dei Lander tedeschi per chiedere loro l’abolizione delle garanzie statali sulle banche - come premier ottenne dai colleghi di Bruxelles più di quel che gli riuscì a Roma con i partiti: strappò il sì della Merkel allo scudo antispread, la camicia di forza entro la quale la Germania voleva costringere la Bce. In Italia alcuni lo considerano amico della Troika, eppure fu lui a tenere la Troika fuori dai confini italiani quando nel 2012 rifiutò un piano di aiuti per le banche italiane.If Angela Merkel is ousted, Europe will unravel - FT.com
The stakes, though, are much higher with Ms Merkel. The financial crash, the euro crisis and the collapse of the Schengen open borders arrangement has seen Europe unravelling as centrist parties across the continent have struggled to meet the challenge of the populists. Ms Merkel has been the rock of certainty — the leader with the authority to keep the show on the road. Without her the fractures would multiply.Perché gli italiani non parlano l’inglese? | Linkiesta.it
