Berlusconi surrenders to the pain

Published on 27 May 2010 at 12:37

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"Sacrifices are needed", leads Corriere della Sera quoting PM Silvio Berlusconi. After clinging for months to the idea that Italy would avoid the budgetary pain doled out across Europe by the economic crisis, the Calvaliere has finally thrown in the towel. Recent whispers about massive spending cuts have been made real, with the government announcing details of a €24 billion austerity package - wage freezes, spending cuts and even the elimination of some provincial administrations. While unions now threaten a general strike, the President of the EU Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has intoned that "Italy is on the right path". The bad news comes along with the publication of a report by ISTAT (National Institute of Statistics) showing that 15 per cent of Italian families live in "economic deprivation". Worse, two million members of the 15-29 year old “neet” generation (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and a staggering 29 per cent of 30 to 34 year olds, still live with their parents.

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