Europe monitors Italy through its mission, but "continues to maintain a dialogue at a political level" with our country. We therefore work on several levels and not only on a technical level. The demonstration is given by the telephone conversation this morning between the president of the European Commission, Josè Manuel Barroso, and the new Italian prime minister, Mario Monti, the first since the professor was given the task of forming a new government.
“President Barroso was in Paris this morning, and from there he telephoned the new Italian prime minister,” Barroso spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen said at a press conference. Confidential contents of the conversation, but which demonstrate how the EU institutions closely follow the Italian crisis and the developments of the political events in our country.
"I think we will continue to have contacts at a political level" with the Italian authorities, underlined Amadeu Altafaj, spokesman for the European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Olli Rehn. In this sense, he announced, "Saturday Tremonti sent us a letter containing clarifications on the measures contained in the letter” brought by Berlusconi to the European Council of last October 26 and containing the answers to the questionnaire that the EU drafted precisely to ask for clarifications on the Italian letter.
At the moment the EU Commission is "examining" the response provided by the outgoing Economy Minister. The first report on the state of implementation of the measures promised by Italy and on the Italian situation in general "will be provided by Rehn by the end of the month," explained Altafaj. In fact, he also expects the report of the EU technicians on a mission to Rome, and where he will remain indefinitely.
In fact, the mission is "still in Rome" and "is working", specified Rehn's spokesman. "A return date to Brussels has not yet been established", and this because it intends to collect all the information for a "very detailed". The one at work, Altafaj finally wanted to recall, "is a regular mission that is always sent in situations like these".
So “we don't do double work”. But what are the expectations of the Brussels executive regarding Italy in light of the political changes and the arrival of new interlocutors? “The stability law that has just been approved goes in the right direction, as far as structural reforms and fiscal consolidation are concerned Monti has already been clear – replied Altafaj -. The diagnosis of the EU Commission on the weaknesses of the Italian economy, and the need for structural reforms "has not changed because now there is a new administration".
