There is a widespread impression that the rejection by the Commission of the initial budget proposed by the Italian government in October contributed to the renewed increase in the risk spread on Italian government bonds. However, there is no real reason for such a link.

“The main trait of the model is, perhaps, the ability to hold together cultures, minorities, laws that are so different from each other. Such a model enables the state to take into account the diversity in the representation processes without disregarding the existence of different systems and of strong minorities which are territorially localized, while also seeking to incorporate them into decision-making processes”. An interview with Cristina Fasone about the Canadian federalism as possible model for Europe

One of the iron laws of Italian politics is that every new government promises more spending in infrastructure; and ask the EU to change its rules by not counting infrastructure spending for the calculation of the deficit. This is indeed an important demand, which needs to get a fair hearing.