That "distorted image" that Germany has of Italy
According to Spiegel, it is wrong to think of the Belpaese spendthrift and indebted. Thomas Fricke, author of a long editorial, does not hesitate to speak of ¿all this German arrogance that - not only now, but especially now is particularly tragic.
by Roberto Brunelli
According to Spiegel, it is wrong to think of the Belpaese spendthrift and indebted. Thomas Fricke, author of a long editorial, does not hesitate to speak of ¿all this German arrogance that - not only now, but especially now is particularly tragic.
by Roberto Brunelli
AGI
Germany has a distorted and fatal image of Italy, an image that will eventually tear the European Union apart. Spiegel writes it today in a long editorial, which publishes it even at the opening of its site. A very harsh article towards the German political class: Thomas Fricke, who signs the piece, does not hesitate to talk about ¿all this German arrogance that - not only now, but especially now ¿¿s particularly tragic. It is.
And not only because the usual German whining has to do with the reality of Italian life as much as the sauerkraut has to do with German eating habits. According to Spiegel, the quarrel about the possible participation of Germans in Eurobonds is embarrassing It is preferable to fantasize about the fact that Italians should have saved before This explains the lack of zeal on the part of Germany in starting this week’s EU summit a historic rescue action.
And here is the sinking: Europe is in danger of sinking into the drama, not because the Italians are off track, but because of a predominant part of the German perception. And again: Perhaps it’s because of the many films on mafia" writes the German weekly ironically on the respective stereotypes between the two countries, maybe it’s just envy for the fact that Italy has the best climate, the best food, more sun and the sea .
According to Fricke, if the Italian State in a crisis like this ends up under pressure from the financial point of view, it depends ¿ whether it must depend on the Italians ¿ on the fact that the country has a share of old public debts, ie from the past times. Only that this has little to do with the reality of life today, but with a phase of derailment of the 80s, which in turn has to do with the interests suddenly splattered high.
The Spiegel also makes a historical comparison that is always very hot for Germany: If we Germans had not had so dear friends abroad that in 1953 we cleared a part of our debts, we would still be with a heavy burden in hand. And as it turns out when people have to continue to pay debts born historically, Germany proved it at the end of the First World War, when in the end the system was overthrown, as has been the case for years in Italy.
Moreover, the editorial of the weekly magazine recalls that for 30 years the Italian State has spent less for its citizens than it takes them, with the sole exception of the year of the world financial crisis 2009. That means record savings, not squandering. The newspaper also cites public investment cut by a third from 2010 to 2015" as well as reduced expenditure on education and public administration.
In short: "Dolce vita? Nonsense. Public investment since 2010 in Italy has fallen by 40%. A real collapse. This is the case in Germany, where public spending has grown by almost 20%, i.e., the State spends a quarter more per person than it spends in Italy. That in these weeks is painfully perceived.
A situation that with the current crisis of the coronavirus pandemic turns into an unbelievable drama, ""In Italy there were no beds and so many people died that today may still be alive. It’s not directly the fault of German politicians, of course. But it would be a good time to stop with crazy lessons, and to help clean up the causes of the disaster, dear Mr Schaeuble (former Minister of Finance in the hottest years of the Eurocrisis, ed.). Or to say
And instead, with absolute seriousness,
according to Spiegel, "the Italians' credit dependency is quite high. But here again, a small factual suggestion: private debts, commensurate with GDP, in almost no EU country are as low as in Italy.
Finally: It’s finally time to put an end to this drama, and maybe even with Eurobonds, as a symbol of the community of destiny that we are part of since we have a common currency, Fricke concludes. Again the Germans have time to straighten the curve after the past twisting weeks: otherwise the European Union in a few years will no longer be a union.
In Italy as in France, people will come to power who, as Donald Trump or Boris Johnson do now, have no desire to play the game: that game on which Germany has been building its well-being for decades.
Germany has a distorted and fatal image of Italy, an image that will eventually tear the European Union apart. Spiegel writes it today in a long editorial, which publishes it even at the opening of its site. A very harsh article towards the German political class: Thomas Fricke, who signs the piece, does not hesitate to talk about ¿all this German arrogance that - not only now, but especially now ¿¿s particularly tragic. It is.
And not only because the usual German whining has to do with the reality of Italian life as much as the sauerkraut has to do with German eating habits. According to Spiegel, the quarrel about the possible participation of Germans in Eurobonds is embarrassing It is preferable to fantasize about the fact that Italians should have saved before This explains the lack of zeal on the part of Germany in starting this week’s EU summit a historic rescue action.
And here is the sinking: Europe is in danger of sinking into the drama, not because the Italians are off track, but because of a predominant part of the German perception. And again: Perhaps it’s because of the many films on mafia" writes the German weekly ironically on the respective stereotypes between the two countries, maybe it’s just envy for the fact that Italy has the best climate, the best food, more sun and the sea .
According to Fricke, if the Italian State in a crisis like this ends up under pressure from the financial point of view, it depends ¿ whether it must depend on the Italians ¿ on the fact that the country has a share of old public debts, ie from the past times. Only that this has little to do with the reality of life today, but with a phase of derailment of the 80s, which in turn has to do with the interests suddenly splattered high.
The Spiegel also makes a historical comparison that is always very hot for Germany: If we Germans had not had so dear friends abroad that in 1953 we cleared a part of our debts, we would still be with a heavy burden in hand. And as it turns out when people have to continue to pay debts born historically, Germany proved it at the end of the First World War, when in the end the system was overthrown, as has been the case for years in Italy.
Moreover, the editorial of the weekly magazine recalls that for 30 years the Italian State has spent less for its citizens than it takes them, with the sole exception of the year of the world financial crisis 2009. That means record savings, not squandering. The newspaper also cites public investment cut by a third from 2010 to 2015" as well as reduced expenditure on education and public administration.
In short: "Dolce vita? Nonsense. Public investment since 2010 in Italy has fallen by 40%. A real collapse. This is the case in Germany, where public spending has grown by almost 20%, i.e., the State spends a quarter more per person than it spends in Italy. That in these weeks is painfully perceived.
A situation that with the current crisis of the coronavirus pandemic turns into an unbelievable drama, ""In Italy there were no beds and so many people died that today may still be alive. It’s not directly the fault of German politicians, of course. But it would be a good time to stop with crazy lessons, and to help clean up the causes of the disaster, dear Mr Schaeuble (former Minister of Finance in the hottest years of the Eurocrisis, ed.). Or to say
And instead, with absolute seriousness,
according to Spiegel, "the Italians' credit dependency is quite high. But here again, a small factual suggestion: private debts, commensurate with GDP, in almost no EU country are as low as in Italy.
Finally: It’s finally time to put an end to this drama, and maybe even with Eurobonds, as a symbol of the community of destiny that we are part of since we have a common currency, Fricke concludes. Again the Germans have time to straighten the curve after the past twisting weeks: otherwise the European Union in a few years will no longer be a union.
In Italy as in France, people will come to power who, as Donald Trump or Boris Johnson do now, have no desire to play the game: that game on which Germany has been building its well-being for decades.
— Giovanni Fasanella (@GioFasanella) April 25, 2020
