"I support the reforms proposed by the Monti government, which have restored the confidence in Italy of financial investors, just as I am sure that Italians will vote in a way that ensures that Italy remains on the right path“. These are the certainties of the German chancellor Angela Merkel, which thus responds to the concern that arose on the markets after the announced re-nomination of Silvio Berlusconi at Palazzo Chigi.
One of the strong points on which the Knight intends to set the electoral campaign – in fact it has already begun – it seems to be precisely anti-Germanism. And he responded clearly to the former Premier's latest attacks Guido Westerwelle, German foreign minister: “Our government has no intention of getting involved in the Italian electoral competition, but we will not accept that Germany becomes the object of a populist electoral campaign. Neither Germany nor Europe is the cause of Italy's current difficult situation".
But what arrows have started from Arcore against the Bundestag? Just this morning the Knight, interviewed by Maurizio Belpietro, used harsh words against Berlin, accusing her of having manipulated the differentials: “We have moved on since the euro has paid 4,3% – observed Berlusconi – Germany 3,3%. But then Germany decided to do something in its own interest, by ordering the sale of all Italian treasury bonds. At that point, the American and international funds thought that if Germany sells, something was up and they started selling too. Investors, therefore, to invest in our public debt and in that of the 'cicada' countries have decided to ask for a premium for the risk, even if only theoretical, they were running, asking Greece for 14%, Portugal for 7% and Portugal for 6% to us. Germany took advantage of this and, thanks to its solid sovereign debt, lowered rates by 1%. But what does it matter to us?”.
And Berlusconi claims to have strenuously opposed such an opponent for years: “I said no when Mrs. Merkel asked that Greece be subject to reductions that would have brought it, as I thought and as it turned out, almost to the civil war – continued the Knight -. I said no when it came to the Tobin Tax. I said no when it came to having the banks calculate the public debt securities held not at the redemption value but at the second market, forcing them to capitalize more".
But that's not all: "I said no when there was talk of the Fiscal Compact and I even vetoed it, suspending the council of heads of state and government, to point out that Italy could not undertake a reduction of the debt of 50 billion a year – continued Berlusconi -, also because our debt was not and is not 125% of GDP, because our GDP must be calculated by adding the hidden one to the emerged one, which Europe does not do ”.
