ITALY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION • Eurozone's third-largest economy • Italy has the third largest public debt of the World in absolute terms and the eighth when it is GDP weighted • Italy presents the largest and most persistent development gap among its regional economies in the group of the advanced countries. • 1992-2007: – 8.3% decline of GDP per capita • Since the early 1990s, GDP growth in Italy has fallen behind not only the US, but also its European peers. Between 2000 and 2012, Italy was among the 10 worst performers in the world in terms of GDP per capita growth, together with countries such as Haiti, Yemen and Zimbabwe Export 2013 Import 2013 FEDERALIST IDEAS 1941 Ventoten manifesto Altiero Spinelli , Ernesto Rossi, Eugenio Colorni (Giuseppe Mazzini, Carlo Cattaneo, Giuseppe Ferrari) Altiero Spinelli „The absolute sovereignty of national states has given each the desire to dominate, since each one feels threatened by the strength of the others, and considers as its living space an increasingly vast territory wherein it will have the right of free movement and can ensure itself of the means of a practically autonomous existence. This desire to dominate cannot be placated except by the predominance of the strongest state.” „All reasonable men recognize that it is impossible to maintain a balance of power among European states with militarist Germany enjoying equal conditions, nor can Germany be broken up into pieces once it is conquered.” „In order to respond to our needs, the European revolution must be socialist, that is it must have as its goal the emancipation of the working classes and the realization for them of more humane living conditions.” CONSOLIDATION AFTER WW II. • Since the beginning of the EU integration process the Italian membership of the Community seems to have perceived between masses and elites as a kind of higher political good, or the Union as a “collective myth for Italian society” • Large majority (>70%) believed membership of the EC was beneficiary for the country. • The 1948 Italian Republican Constitution was a result of many political compromises. Italian society is pluralist and the Constitution reflects that. • The Constitution designed weak institutions and strong parties, as it was believed that the system would work because of the strength and authority injected from outside the parties. • Parliament procedures assign the gov. a marginal role in the parliamentary work, while maximizing opportunities for influence in the setting of the agenda • Since the beginning of the Italian Republic, the mainstreams of foreign policy have been pro US, pro Europe values. • Christian Democratic party: not “old” “historical” but modern Christian universalism, cooperation of European democracies Support for the EU is generally widespread, however it corresponds to a lack of confidence in the ITA institutional and political system – comparative weakness of the PM – relative strength of the senate – PCI -> 1960s they followed Moscow “eurocommunism” Alcide De Gasperi 1946-1953 (Christian Democrats) Giuseppa Pella 1953-1954 Amintore Fanfani 1954 Mario Scelba 1954-1955 Antonio Segni 1955-1957 Adone Zoli 1957-1958 Amintore Fanfani 1958-1959 Antonio Segni 1959-1960 Fenando Tambroni 1960 Amintore Fanfan 1960-1963 Giovanni Leone 1963 Aldo Moro 1963-1968 Giovanni Leone 1968 Mariano Rumor 1968-1970 Emilio Colombo 1970-1972 Giulio Andreotti 1972-1973 Marian Rumor 1973-1974 Aldo Moro 1974-1976 Giulio Andreotti 1976-1979 Francesco Cossiga 1979-1980 Amaldo Forlani 1980-1981 Giovanni Spadiolini 1981-1982 (Italian Republican Party) Amintore Fanfani 1982-1983 (CD) Bettino Craxi 1983-1987 (Italian Socialist Party) Alcide De Gasperi Amintore Fanfani 1987 (CD) Giovanni Goria 1987-1988 (CD) Ciriaco De Mita 1988-1989 (CD) 1945-1953 Giulio Andreotti 1989-1992 (CD) Giuliano Amato 1992-1993 (Italian Socialist Party) Carlo Azeglia Ciampi 1993-1994 (Independent) Silvio Berusconi 1994-1995 (Forza Italia) Lamberto Dini 1995-1996 (Independent) Romano Prodi 1996-1998 (The Olive Tree) Massio D'Alema 1998-2000 (The Olive Tree) Giuliano Amato 2000-2001 (The Olive Tree) Silvio Berusconi 2001-2006 (Forza Italia) Romano Prodi 2006-2008 (The Olive Tree) Silvio Berusconi 2008-2011 (The People of Freedom) Mario Monti 2011-2013 (Independent) Enrico Letta 2013-2014 (Democratic Party) Matteo Renzi 2014-2016 (Democratic Party) Paolo Gentiloni 2016- • ESCS membership was to offer security to the new-born Italian democracy (De Gasperi, Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer met regularly) • national interest could be better defended within a policy of European identity ITA was included Bretton Woods 1946, IMF 1947 By accepting the Treaty of Paris as a defeated country with no concession to nationalism, ITA could take part in the negotiations for the Marshall Plan, founder of OEEC 1948), founder of the NATO • After De Gasperi’s death 1954, a “de-politicization’ of Italian foreign policy took place: proEurope and proUS values remained at the centre of ITA foreign policy, but with more technocrats (diplomats and bureaucrats) – politicians rather deal with domestic matters • As a result gradually the EC became a non-issue in the Italian political arena Italian economic prosperity of the 1960s 1958 EEC, EURATOM founder Italy was a free market economy with a strong element of state control and state ownership. Many state-owned companies had operated efficiently and contributed to economic growth. Comparatively, the Italian economy grew faster in the 1960s than any other European country. • Relative macroeconomic stability • Unemployment down, (9.8%, 1.7 million) • Private and state-owned enterprises took advantage of foreign assistance from the United States under the Marshall Plan and the launch of the European Economic Community (EEC) to restore the Italian economy. • Despite skepticism about the European Common Market, Italy joined and profited from the progressive integration of Western European economies. • By developing strong export-related industries, the industrial triangle of Milan-Genoa-Turin led the economic boom. Italian exports became attractive, and the growth of exports led to a strong internal demand for goods and services. • Small and medium enterprises began establishing themselves and prospering in Northern Italy. These companies were the force behind economic growth as they exported machinery, engineering products, textiles, and clothing. • Large private companies such as FIAT and state-owned companies such as ENI and ENEL also contributed to economic growth. Meanwhile, southern Italy remained impoverished, and its inhabitants migrated north in large numbers until the late 1970s. ITALY as an EEC member • Wealth growing, boom, foreign trade liberalisation (USA) • 1964-65 small recession • The high rates of economic growth that Italy had enjoyed in the 50s and slower but still healthy pace in the 60s have disappeared in the 70s. • The Italian economy has suffered low investment and growth, high rates of inflation and balance of payments difficulties, and these difficulties have erupted into 2 severe crises in 1974 and 1976 that requires exceptional policy measures, external financial assistance • VAT introduced in 1973, 3 years after • Pro ESF, pro ERDF • After 1970: inflation up, 1972 5% -> 1980 21% • Industry restructured, role of small and medium size enterprises grew • The fourfold increase in the price of oil in late 1973/4 proved more damaging to Italy than the other major industrial countries. • Trade deficit grew, upsurge in commodity prices struck Italy particularly because of the country’s heavy dependence on raw material import. • Small recovery 1975, than the crisis exploded in Jan 1976, with the announcement of the “closing” of the foreign exchange market, in actuality the suspension of official quotations and central bank support. • Italian gov. turned towards the IMF, Apr 1977, IMF granted SDR 450 million • Bettino Craxi: Italy should grow up, big country vision, dynamic EU policy, Paris-Bonn+Roma triangle 1980s economic challenges • The state began to withdraw from its role in the economy after a first round of privatization was carried out at the end of the 1980s (large state-owned enterprises such as the motor car manufacturing companies) Acession of Greece+Spain+Portugal Mediterranean pack: move the gravitation centre of the EC to the south “Green Europe” to “blue Europe”: CAP (instead of grain, cow, pig -> mediterranean products) ITALY and the EU in the 90s 1992: collapse of the political system, corruption, fall of communism • soveregnists / nationalists: strong, wealthy state • pro integration parties • neo neutralists Tangetopoli scandals: it is a term which was coined to describe pervasive corruption in the Italian political system exposed in the 1992-6 Mani Pulite investigations, as well as the resulting scandal, which led to the collapse of the hitherto dominant Christian Democracy party and its allies. In the post Masstrich period public debates in ITA were not dominated as much by the ratification of the TEU as they were by other issues, such as • the emergence of new political actors (Berusconi) • heated battle against organised crime • massive Albaninan immigration • major attention in the media on Maastrich criterias MAASTRICHT 29 October 1992 • large majority in the Italian Chamber of Deputies (467 present from 630 / 403 ok) without any debate involving the wider public • concept of European citizenship: social aim, democratic deficit, Article 11 effects on Italian law, national sovereignty, ITLAY and