Italy
Italian President Ciampi blocks Berlusconi’s justice “reforms”
By Marianne Arens, December 29, 2004
On December 16, Italian President Carlo Ciampi refused to sign Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s justice reform bill, thereby blocking its enactment. The “reforms” were passed by th...
Italy carries out mass deportation of refugees
By Martin Kreickenbaum, October 9, 2004
While the European Union is still discussing how to circumvent international law in order to establish camps for refugees in North Africa, the Italian government is creating facts on the ground. In de...
Berlusconi government wracked by crisis
By Marianne Arens and Peter Schwarz, July 26, 2004
Over the recent period, the right-wing Italian government led by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (Forza Italia—Italy Forward) has been plunged into its deepest crisis since taking power three y...
The Parmalat scandal and globalization: impact on the Italian economy
By Chris Sverige, April 17, 2004
Although it will be more than a year before those involved in one of the biggest cases of corporate fraud in European history are brought to trial, the impact of the Parmalat scandal can be seen throu...
Norwegian festival withdraws Berlusconi documentary after meeting with Italian officials
By Richard Phillips, April 1, 2004
Last Friday, two days before the 3rd European Documentary Film Festival in Oslo, Norway, Film Institute (NFI) director Vigdis Lian announced that Citizen Berlusconi, a 56-minute documentary on Italy&r...
Massive anti-war protest in Rome
By a correspondent, March 22, 2004
Rome saw the biggest antiwar demonstration worldwide, with over one million demonstrators participating in a march through the centre of the Italian capital. The protest was jointly organised by trade...
Italy: Investigators ignore role of banks and political leaders in Parmalat scandal
By Chris Sverige, February 11, 2004
More than six weeks after the biggest corporate scandal of 2003 came to light, investigators are about to issue formal charges against Parmalat’s top managers. The authorities have, however, sho...
Italy: Court overturns Berlusconi’s immunity law
By Marianne Arens, January 23, 2004
On January 13, the Italian constitutional court revoked a law that had granted Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi immunity from criminal prosecution until the end of his term in office.
Rome: Mass demonstration to defend pensions
By Marianne Arens, December 11, 2003
An estimated 1 million people took part in a national demonstration in Rome last Saturday under the slogan “Defend your Future.” Demonstrators travelled from across the country in 3,000 bu...
Italy: 10-million-strong general strike protests pension cuts
By Marianne Arens, October 28, 2003
On Friday, October 24, an estimated 10 million workers and office employees took part in a general strike with the central aim of protesting the pension policy of the government of Silvio Berlusconi. ...
Italy: Berlusconi intensifies his attacks on the judiciary
By Peter Schwarz, September 19, 2003
At the beginning of this month, Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi once again hit the headlines with an onslaught against the judiciary. In an interview with the right-wing British magazine the ...
Italy’s new media law tailor-made for Berlusconi
By Christopher Sverige, September 10, 2003
In the face of antitrust rulings, protests by Italian media organizations and an appeal by the head of state to safeguard pluralism in the media, the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is ...
