For quite some time I have called for Italy to play a bigger, more proactive role in the region: its geographical position make it the ideal candidate to play a leading part in relation to northern Africa. Furthermore, Italy is free from the post-colonial burden that might strain relations between Spain and Portugal and their neighbours across the water, or Greece’s troubled relationship with its Turkish ‘friends’ in Asia Minor. The planned completion of the pipeline, which will bring precious gas from Azerbaijan into Europe by way of the heel of the Italian booth, is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough.

The benefits of a deeper Italian involvement in the region are twofold: firstly, it would, as Niblett and Spencer rightly suggest, help Italy on its way to an arduous economic recovery, thus restoring the country to its rightful position at the centre of the EU, where its prestige and economic might have been diminished by the mounting public debt; secondly, it would allow Italy to take on a normative role in Europe’s external relations towards the south Mediterranean, after the relative failures of the European Neighbourhood Policy’s southern branch, the Union for the Mediterranean (previously known as the Barcelona Process).

The coincidence of the financial crisis with the Arab spring has highlighted the EU’s lack of creativity; while the Union’s eastern neighbours are offered new, ‘deep free trade’ agreements, Brussels’ orthodox approach does not go beyond pouring money into its Mediterranean ones. Yet, ‘the financial crisis and ensuing economic maelstrom touch on the very foundations of Europe’s market based liberal democracies, which [the EU] seeks to promote abroad’¹. If Italy has vision and the courage to pursue it, it may lead a wave that will bring stability to the democratic movements of the Arab spring, and it will be able to reap the benefits, which will underpin a long and stable economic growth.

Italian industries would certainly benefit from the removal of trade barriers between Europe and the south Mediterranean, fostering the movements of goods, such as agricultural produce, into the EU and services towards the southern shore of the Mare Nostrum. Northern Africa would also be fertile ground for foreign direct investment, which currently stands at 1.5% of the EU’s total.

The region will also be of vital importance for Italy’s (and the EU’s) energy security, as its proximity make it a natural source of fossil fuels, on which our economies depend. Finally, the long term security value of deeper economic and political integration is inestimable. Until now the EU has been, for obvious reasons, unable to effectively control its southern borders and put a stop to illegal immigration, human trafficking and cross border illegal activities. For years Italy has taken a reactive approach to such problems. By proactively seeking to support the transition process of fledgling Mediterranean democracies and promoting their economic growth, it will tackle the problem at the base, and eradicate the source of the ‘demand’, thus showing to its European partners that it is possible to pursue both milieu and possession goals at the same time.

1: Boserup, R.A., and Tassinari, F. (2012), The Return of Arab politics and Europe’s chance to engage anew, Mediterranean Politics, 17:1, 97-103

d’Andria is currently fighting for a fairer tax system to help counter the growth of organised crime and associated activities, such as match fixing.

Recent investigations have led to 17 football players being arrested, including Atalanta and Italy midfielder Cristiano Doni as well as former Inter Milan and Roma player Luigi Sartor. Doni is currently facing a hearing into the allegations at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

On 1 February the international governing body for the sport, FIFA, will open a temporary amnesty for players who admit match-fixing. FIFA also issued a chilling warning to players that those who become involved with match fixers could pay “the ultimate price”, citing anecdotal evidence that some players have been killed after becoming involved with gangs.

Renato d’Andria, who is currently campaigning for a shake up of the Italian taxation system to curb gang culture in Italy, is calling for teams to comply with FIFA’s requirements in an attempt to restore trust in the game.

Renato d’Andria said: “I am saddened and extremely concerned about this culture for corruption, which is blackening the name of a sport that once stood for integrity and respect.

“It is incredibly disappointing that corruption has become synonymous with the Italian game. I believe the future could see things improve – but only if we can bring about a shift in attitudes. Previous governments’ bureaucratic policy-making decisions have led to a culture where dishonesty has become a reality for many Italians.

“The black market now constitutes a large percentage of the country’s economy. I strongly believe that this is a result of a disproportionate tax system forcing businessmen to either move abroad or turn to dark practises, which have become the norm in our society.

“There must be a major shake up of this culture if we are to make football a proud and honest sport once more.”

The opinion piece pitches the Euro as a “mutual suicide pact” for weaker members of the EU. The columnist, Nick Wood, explains how many EU countries are re-thinking their commitment to the single currency.

He writes: “Even in Italy, one of the most pro-European of EU states, the ground is shifting. The newly reconstituted PSDI party – the successor to the Social Democrats who ruled the country for 50 years – is far more Eurosceptic, branding the imposition of the technocrat Mario Monti as Italian PM as a “coup” and a “denial of democracy”.

“Its new national secretary Renato d’Andria has floated the idea of Italy quitting the EU as well as the euro and switching its gaze to the south where it could lead the formation of a new entity, the Mediterranean Union, made of countries from southern Europe, North Africa and parts of the Middle East.”

Read the full article on the Daily Mail Online

ECB’s Nowotny says pressure to reduce Austrian debt is ‘acute’. Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy may need to skirt Spanish law to backstop the nation’s indebted regions, closely mimicking the EU’s technique of dodging its no-bailout rule to save Greece, Ireland and Portugal from default.

The Italian Prime Minister has said he predicts anti-European protests in Italy, unless Italian citizens soon see clear benefits resulting from their willingness to step up savings and accept the economic revamp. (Die Welt)

Italian Social Democrat Party calls for an exit from the Euro. d’Andria, the leader of the Italian Social Democrat party will hold a press conference in Rome at 1130GMT today to announce the shift.

Greece could still drag Europe into a deeper financial crisis and the country’s exit from the Eurozone is possible this year, according to Fitch Ratings. (Ekathimerini)

Read the full story on http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk

This Wednesday, the leader of Italy’s Social Democrat party said the country should leave the European Union and abandon the Euro.
“We don’t think we’re still really a part of Europe” as Rome has little influence in the organization, Renato d’Andria told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview. “So we should leave.”
His party currently has no seats in parliament but some of its members hold seats in other groups across the spectrum, he said. D’Andria is trying to revive the Social Democrat party, which once regularly won 10% or more of the votes in northern cities but over the decades became a marginal party based in southern regions.
He announced his anti-euro stance on the day that Prime Minister Mario Monti is meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to try to find a way to solve the sovereign debt woes of some currency union members.
Monti told German daily Die Welt in an interview published Wednesday that “a protest against Europe will develop in Italy, including against Germany, which is seen as the ringleader of EU intolerance, and against the European Central Bank” if Italy’s EU partners don’t agree to help the country after it made heavy fiscal sacrifices.
Italy has historically been one of the most pro-Euro countries. Only the Northern League, a regionalist party now the sole opposition party in a parliament supporting Prime Minister Mario Monti’s technocrat government, openly talks about quitting the currency union.
d’Andria said his party “doesn’t feel Italy is being loyally supported” by EU partners.

It is also in Italy’s national interest to shift its policy to trying to create a Mediterranean Union, he said.
“Europe has become a bureaucratic, not a political structure,” he said, adding that he had formerly been enthusiastic about a federally unified continent.
He said his party is commissioning polls now and would run alone in general elections that must be held by the spring of 2013 if the country’s electoral law changes. If the current controversial electoral law remains in place, the Social Democrats will be “obliged” to ally with the center-right party, he said.
Given that Monti’s technical government has pushed Italy’s political parties off stage, there is room for the Social Democrats to gain supporters, especially as they’ve been practically absent from the scene for 20 years and around half of Italians say they have no strong party allegiances, d’Andria said.

“We can add something new,” he said.

I am also a historian, and am especially fascinated by current affairs of the Mediterranean Union. I enjoy studying history, learning from it and applying it to today’s events. I would say that I have a strong sense of justice and respect of democratic rights. I have always fought for justice – this has made me enemies, but I have no regrets. I do not compromise on matters of justice or equality.

I can be the driving force of a team that will bring Italy out of this crisis and restore its reputation. I believe Italy is well placed to be a global power; to possess great talents and creativity in the fields of science, technology and arts. I think Italy has a key role to play in the future of the world, and I am ready to fight for it.