I T E S M C a m p u s P u e b l a

Country profile: Italy

Carolina del Pilar Ambrosio Galindo
Daniela Berea Cecea
Alemi Hernndez Gonzlez
Alexa Mata Galindo

Regional Stage
of Europe
Territory
Italys surface is 300,350 sq km total. In regards to land, it is about 290,000 sq km and
7,000 sq km to water; these numbers include Sardinia and Sicily islands. Italy is ranked
in the 7
th
place in the European Union region.
From all 45 European countries, Italy is number 11 when it comes to a list with all
European countries arranged by area. Russia, on top of the list, is bigger than Italy by
about 16000000 sq km. Number 7; Germany is bigger than Italy by around 55000 sq
km. However, Italy is bigger than 34 European countries, and exceeds the Vatican City,
the smallest State in Europe, by almost 300000 sq km.
1

Italys total territory equals a 35th part of Europe and a little more than a 500th of
the all worlds landmass. Italy can be considered the most logical link between Europe
and the peoples of Africa and Asia, bordering as they do on the same sea and sharing
over many centuries both historical events and cultural influences.
2

Italy is a peninsula, which extends into the Mediterranean Sea and it is around
the Adriatic, Ionian, Ligurian and the Tyrrhenian Seas. Italy has two mountain ranges:
the Alps and the Apennines. Plus, Italys plain, the Padan Plain, is drained by longest
river in the country: the Po with 652 km and its numerous flows down the Alps and the
Apennines.
3

Italy is bordered by France (west), Slovenia (east), Austria (northeast),
and Switzerland (north). Because of its geographical position, Italy has contact with the
main ethnic and cultural zones of the Old World, such as: neo-Latin, Germanic and
Slav-Balkan and dominates part of the Mediterraneans central part.
4


1
http://geography.about.com/od/europemaps/a/europe-countries-area.htm
2
http://www.italylink.com/woi/country/position.html
3
http://www.mapsofworld.com/italy/geography.html
4
http://www.safaritheglobe.com/geography_italy.aspx

Comment [BM1]: This is not a rounded
figure and it is not the same as the one
indicated in your source or in your first
version!
Comment [BM2]: I suppose that this
number corresponds to the 49 that we have
identified at the beginning of the semester,
minus the three Caucasian ones and Turkey.
It is acceptable to come to this conclusion
although it is a little strange that those
Eurasian countries were excluded but not
Russia
Comment [BM3]: This is not very fair to
compare Italy to the Vatican!
Comment [BM4]: My comment on the first
version of your report has been
misunderstood (in fact what you wrote in
the first place was OK, so forget it).

Map of Italy
Source: http://www.big-italy-map.co.uk/
5


Italy has two large islands which are separated from its original main territory: Sicily and
Sardinia but are taken into account regarding Italys national territory. The distance
between Italy and Sicily is about 830 km and 470 km between Italy and Sardinia.
6


Italy has two independent states within Italy itselfits own territory: Europes third
smallest country, the Republic of San Marino and worlds smallest independent state,
the Vatican City.
7


5
http://www.big-italy-map.co.uk/
6
https://maps.google.com.mx/maps?ie=UTF-
8&gl=mx&daddr=Sicilia&saddr=Italy&panel=1&f=d&fb=1&geocode=KQPSjUSC_tQSM
W9eYyRc9Szi%3BKd9oQL6y2xATMYel-
_7JvhtK&ei=H4AfU_j6DYKsrQGLyIGgDQ&ved=0CCMQ-A8wAA
7
http://www.kidsdiscover.com/quick-reads/san-marino-vatican-city-states-within-state/#
Comment [BM5]: Not the best source ever!

Map of Italy showing its two distant territories
Source: http://www.exsus.com/destinations/europe/italy/map-and-practical/
8


Italy has coal, mercury, zinc, natural gas and crude oil reserves. In addition, proven
natural gas reserves, mainly in the Po Valley and offshore in the Adriatic, constitute the
country's most important natural resource.
9

Italy is a net importer of oil and natural gas to fulfill the countrys energy needs.
In 2010, the country imported around 2 million barrels per day of crude oil and
petroleum refined products. It is relevant to state that Italys crude oil suppliers are one
African country, Libya, two Asian, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia and just one from
Europe, Russia.
Italy depends on its energy imports; regarding natural gas, Italys suppliers are
mainly two African countries: Algeria and Libya, through the Enrico Mattei, (better
known as the Trans-Mediterranean) and Greenstream pipelines.

8
http://www.exsus.com/destinations/europe/italy/map-and-practical/
9
http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/italy/economy
Comment [BM6]: The main idea, in general
and in your source, is that Italy has FEW
natural resources This important idea
should not get lost.
Comment [BM7]: I have checked your
source and it is true that it states (wrongly)
that gas is a mineral resource. You have
made the necessary correction.
Comment [BM8]: Good, but a source is
lacking.
It is important to mention that Italy has the fifth- largest proved reserves of crude
oil in the European continent with 521 million barrels. In addition, according to 2013
data, Italy is considered to have the 6th largest proved natural gas reserves in Europe
with 2.3 Tcf (trillion cubic feeit), located in the Po Valley and off its coast, in the Adriatic.
Italy is considered to have the second largest crude oil refining capacity in the
European Union. Italy has around 2.2 million bbl/d coming from 16 crude oil refineries.
Research had established that 10 percent of European refineries want to be closed
eventually because domestic consumption of oil products had decreased. Italy is at risk
of having refineries closed, and actually one of them has been already dismissed.
10

Italy is considered to be a unitary state. It is divided into regions, provinces and
municipalities. Five out of the 20 regions (Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle
d'Aosta, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia) have special autonomy statutes thanks to which they
exercise larger legislative, administrative and financial competences.
11

Italian territory has brought decentralization process to the national government
and actually some recent governments have devolved further power to several regions.
For example, in the northern part of the country, regional governments are seeking
additional powers.
12

The Lega Nord or Northern League is an Italian right-wing party created by
Umberto Bossi in the late 1990s which formed a coalition with Silvio Berlusconis last
administration. It presents movements against the European Union and the euro itself.
Matteo Salvini, an MEP for the North- West region, even stated that the EU was a
monster which needed to be slaughtered.
13
The partys main goals are to separate the
Northern Italy from the country, create a free Padania and transform Italy into a federal

10
http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=it
11
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/note/join/2013/513961/IPOL-
REGI_NT(2013)513961_EN.pdf
12
http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/italy/government
13
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10520482/Independence-
for-northern-Italy-and-an-end-to-euro-says-Northern-League-leader.html
Comment [BM9]: The source was missing
in the first version and it is still absent
Comment [BM10]: ???
Comment [BM11]: Avoid asserting this
right here right now if you expose a
different idea later.
Comment [BM12]: In fact there are two
projects: separating from the south (plan A)
or establishing a more federalist system
(plan B). Both cannot happen at the same
time!
logic aiming for the north regions autonomy. The Northern League had proposed anti-
illegal immigration and anti-islamic policies as a result of the founders effort in order to
create a homogeneous identity among the Norths population.
14
The Northern League
expects to increase its votes in Mays European elections taking as advantage recent
disagreements with the EU and 2008 economic crisis. It hopes to make a great
comeback after last years corruption scandal which caused Bossis resignation.
15

The case of Italy is strange because while they consider themselves as a unitary
and centralized logic, the fact of having many regions and provinces makes seem
actually, in practice they are managed by a federal logic.
Regarding Italys levels of government, it is stated it has three: regional,
provincial and municipal. The highest level of government (regional), is in charge of
supervising and coordinating the lowest levels of governments work and activities.
However, in practice there is no such thing as hierarchical relationship between these
four levels. Actually, every local government owns a relative autonomy regarding its
policies but there are some financial links between the different sub-national levels. In
fact, each one of the three sub-national levels have a direct link/dependence with the
central government, because that level is responsible for financing a part of its capital
spending.
It has 15 regions with ordinary status and five regions with special autonomous
status, around 100 provinces and more than 8,300 municipalities.Provinces and
municipalities are considered to be administrative bodies and regions to have legislative
power.
16



14
http://www.economist.com/node/17259019
15
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10520482/Independence-
for-northern-Italy-and-an-end-to-euro-says-Northern-League-leader.html
16
www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubr-399.pdf
Comment [BM13]: Be careful: the number
of subnational entities is irrelevant when it
comes to determine whether a system is
unitary or federal. For instance France has
more regions than Italy (27 vs.20) and it is
not considered a federal system. Belgium is
a federation despite having only three
regions.
Comment [BM14]: Excessive: if it was true
each region would have, among other
things, its own constitution and a
representation in the upper house, which is
not the case. So it would be much more
prudent and exact to indicate that it is a
regionalized system, that is, an
intermediate position between unitary and
federal.
Comment [BM15]: Well There must be a
hierarchical relationship between the center
and the subnational levels!
Comment [BM16]: Right which implies
some hierarchical relation!
Comment [BM17]: This information has
already been provided above
Population
Italys largest city and capital is Rome, representing the most historical city in the
country. It is also called the Eternal City because it has existed for nearly three
millenniums, this city is also very important because it is the centre of the Roman
Catholic Church and it is the only city in the world with a State in its territory (Tthe Holly
See). Rome also hosts the headquarters of the Food and Agricultural Organization
17
.
The second largest and most important city in Italy is Milan because it is the
financial capital of the country, as well as the most important city in terms of industry
and fashion
18
. Milan is the capital of Lombardy, a region in the north of the country that
shares a border with Switzerland
19
.
Another important city in Italy is Naples. It is the most important city in the
southern region of Italy. The city is known for the large amount of cultures living
together, its World Heritage Site status
20
and for being considered the most corrupt city
because of its history with the Italian mafia.
The fourth largest city in Italy is Turin, known for being a very important
university, scientific and cultural centre in the country. It is famous for its chocolate
production and for being a very touristic place
21
. This city is also an industrial one,
hosting the Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT), a giant cars group that holds
almost all Italian car brands that exist currently, such as Lancia, Alfa Romero, Ferrari
and Maserati.
22

The fifth city by size is Palermo, which is located in Sicily and is considered to be
its capital. Venice is another important city in Italy for its tourism and for being

17
http://www.fao.org/contact-us/en/
18
http://www.aboutmilan.com/the-city-of-milan.html
19
http://www.italia.it/en/discover-italy/lombardy.html
20
http://www.comune.napoli.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/ 1345
21
http://www.halldis.com/content/documentLoad.action?stringId=en_guida_italia
22
http://www.autozine.org/Manufacturer/Italy/Fiat.html
considered one of the most beautiful cities of the world. It is build over a lagoon and it is
full of canals. Its most remarkable place is Piazza San Marco.
23

Florence was a very important culture and knowledge centre during the
Renaissance and it is considered as the place where this movement began
24
.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Regione_Campania_3.svg information added.
Data from 2013 shows that Italy has around 61.5 million inhabitants
25
which
makes this country the 5
th
most populated in Europe and number 23 in comparison to
the world.
26
Like many other European countries, Italy has a slow population growth rate
of 0.34%, with a birth rate of 9 births for every 1000 people
27
meaning its population is
growing very slowly. and aA forecast that predicts a population decrease of nearly 3

23
http://www.ucityguides.com/cities/top-10-most-beautiful-cities.html
24
http://www.learner.org/interactives/renaissance/florence.html
25
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html
26
http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/italy-population/
27
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html
Comment [BM18]: Good
million people in the next 15 years and more than 10 million in the future 45 years.
28
.
With a median age of 44.2 years
29
, Italy has a population pyramid that shows that the
population is growing older and young people are not a large number. Comparing Italys
and the European Union population pyramid it is visible that the trend is very similar and
the age structure follows the average of EU countries, although Italys information is
more concerning, because the age structure is much more dramatic when comparing
the amount percentage of children with the percentage amount of adults there are.








Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ee.html,
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html
In terms of migration, in 2010, 7.1 of every 1000 people that entered Italy were
immigrants; 40.5% of them got a permit to work, 28.6% because their family live there,
1.3% for humanitarian causes, 28.2 enjoy the privilege of the Schengen area and live in
Italy without the need of a permit and 1.5% for other reasons. There is also another
significant migration in Italy, which is the temporary migration that includes international
students and seasonal workers. The immigrants that live in Italy are mainly from

28
http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=IT
29
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2177.html
Formatted: French (France)
Romania, Ukraine, Morocco, Moldova, China, Albania, India, Peru, Pakistan and the
Philippines.
30


Source: http://www.oecd.org/els/mig/IMO%202012_Country%20note%20Italy.pdf
Nowadays Italy has around 5 million regular migrants living in its territory, which
represents roughly 8% of their its population and the annual growth rate of migrant
presence is the highest in the European Union (along with Spain)
31
. It is also important
to highlight that immigrants residing in Italy generate 12% of this countrys GDP
32
.
Immigrants in Italy face many kinds of discrimination, from economic issues
where an immigrant family earns (on average) 56% less than an Italian one to direct
abuses to their human rights and even legal discrimination in which it is specifically
determined that illegal immigrants are criminals and should be kept in a Centre of

30
http://www.oecd.org/els/mig/IMO%202012_Country%20note%20Italy.pdf
31
https://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/where-we-work/europa/european-
economic-area/italy.html
32
http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/news-and-views/press-briefing-notes/pbn-
2013/pbn-listing/new-migration-statistics-in-ital.html
Comment [BM19]: Very good.
Comment [BM20]: Good.
Identification and Expulsion before being sent back to their countries of origin
33
.
Nonetheless, some changes in terms of immigrants like the new law project in which
illegal immigrants are decriminalized arguing that if they are considered criminals then
they cant have a fair trial
34
(which would be against their human rights).

Economy

According to The International Monetary Found Italys GDP in 2012 was 1.980.448
millions of dollars. Italy is in the 8th place of the world ranking, and is the number four
from Europe. Italys GDP per capita is of 30.217 dollars, it has the 33rd ranked placed
of the world ranking and the 12th from Europe.
Italys GDP is mostly used comes fromin the services sector with 73.5% of the
total GDP, the industry sector receives the second largest amount of the GDP with
24.4% and the third and last sector is the agriculture one with 2%. Source missing
Italys main commercial partners are Germany and France. According to the
Observatory of Economic Complexity, Germany is Italys biggest commercial partner
and France is the second one. Also China and the U.S. are great commercial partners.

33
http://www.caritas.org/2014/02/immigrants-to-italy-face-discrimination/
34
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/21/us-italy-migrants-crime-
idUSBREA0K1D520140121
Comment [BM21]: Round numbers
Comment [BM22]: The source does not
appear anymore, although it was included in
the first version

Source: http://atlas.media.mit.edu/profile/country/ita/
The top 5 export destinations of Italy are: Germany (12%), France (11%), U.S.
(6.9%), Switzerland (5.5%), and Spain (4.8%). The top 5 import origins of Italy are:
Germany (14%), France (11%), U.S. (4.5%), China (4.1%) and Switzerland (3.9%)
35
.
The top 5 products exported by Italy are: Refined petroleum (4.4%), packaged
medicines (3.9%), vehicle parts (2.8%), cars (1.9%) and valves (1.6%). The top 5
products imported by Italy are: Crude petroleum (9.7%), packaged medicaments
(3.4%), vehicle parts (2.5%), cars (1.7%) and refined petroleum (1.5%).




Source: http://atlas.media.mit.edu/profile/country/ita/



35
http://atlas.media.mit.edu/profile/country/ita/

Comment [BM23]: I have checked your
source, and I have noted that you have
selected the option net instead of gross,
which appear by default. I am not sure I
understand well the distinction they make
in the website between the indicator
expressed in net terms and the one
expressed in gross terms but the second one
make much more sense. More than 60% of
imports made of mineral products seems to
be excessive if you compare this number
with what appears on the table right below
the graph that you have included in your
report.
The graphs you used in the first version
were more accurate and relevant than
those.
Italys most important companies according to Forbes
36
are: the energy
company
37
ENI, power company ENEL
38
, and UniCredit Group which is a financial
company
39
, investment company EXOR
40
, Generali Group dedicated to the insurance
and financial products market
41
, banking group Intesa Sanpaolo
42
, Telecom Italia which
is a telecommunications group
43
, Luxottica Group focused in eyewear
44
, infrastructure
finance technology and innovation company Atlantia
45
, financial group Unipol Gruppo
46
,
banking group Banca MPS
47
, aeronautics helicopters space and defense company
Finmeccanica
48
and banking group Mediolanum
49
.
Italy also hosts the most powerful brand in the world according to Brand Finance:
Ferrari
50
.








36
http://www.economywatch.com/companies/forbes-list/italy.html
37
https://www.eni.com/en_IT/products-services/products.shtml?home_
2010_it_tab=navigation_menu
38
http://www.enel.com/en-GB/
39
https://www.unicreditgroup.eu/en.html
40
http://www.exor.com/index.php?lang=en
41
https://www.generali.com/Generali-Group/About-us/
42
http://www.intesasanpaolo.com
43
http://www.telecomitalia.com
44
http://www.luxottica.com
45
http://www.atlantia.it/en/pdf/Brochure_Atlantia_2012_ENG.pdf
46
http://www.unipol.it/Pagine/default.aspx
47
http://www.mps.it
48
http://www.finmeccanica.com
49
https://www.bancamediolanum.it
50
http://www.italymagazine.com/news/ferrari-rated-most-powerful-brand-world
Comment [BM24]: The source is now
included, good, but you should also indicate
in what year this ranking was done.
Comment [BM25]: I suggested to include
this information in a table, which you did.
But it was a way to replace the information
in this paragraph, not to repeat it!
Comment [BM26]: Right: in the oral
exposition you said company, which was
much more ambiguous.
Ranking in Italy Ranking in the
world
Company Industry
1 30 ENI Oil and gas
2 145 ENEL Power
3 154 UniCredit Group Banking
4 412 EXOR Investment
5 436 Generali Group Banking
6 459 Intesa Sanpaolo Banking
7 586 Telecom Italia Telecommunications
8 729 Luxottica Group Fashion
9 756 Atlantia Innovation
10 829 Unipol Gruppo Banking
11 1024 Banca MPS Banking
12 1068 Finmeccanica Helicopters
13 1085 Mediolanum Banking



Italy Unemployment Rate
Source: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/italy/unemployment-rate
51


Italys unemployment rate reached a record in past January with 12.9%, being the
highest rate since 1977. It has been mainly increasing in the recent years, evolving
since from 9.6% in 2012 to 12.9%.
52

In 2009, the number of employed persons decreased by 380,000, which affected
male workers in a highest way than it did to female workers. At sectorial level,
compared with 2008, employment has decreased most in industry (-4.3%) and services
(-3.7%).
53

After the 2008 crisis, in 2009, Italys GDP decreased in real terms by 5% from the
average value established in 2008.The economy suffered the worst recession since
WWII. The most important feature of economic recession was the distinct deterioration
ofn Italys exports, which caused a sharp drop regarding investments.
54


51
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/italy/unemployment-rate
52
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-28/italy-unemployment-rises-to-record-
high-in-challenge-for-renzi.html
53
http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/2010/03/articles/it1003019i.htm
54
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2010/wp10244.pdf
Comment [BM27]: This graph is good but it
should come right after (or in the middle of)
the paragraph(s) about unemployment,
instead of appearing like this, unexpected.
Comment [BM28]: ???
Italy
GDP Growth Rate
Source: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/italy/gdp-growth

In the previous graph, it is notorious that the GDP Growth Rate had negative
percentages since 2008, with a better period from 201009 to the end of 2011 and
dropping again to the next years to -1.1%

Italys currency is the Euro. Nevertheless, the lira was the official currency
previous to the Euro from 1861 and 2002. There was a period, between 1999 and 2002,
when the Lira was officially a national subunit of the Euro and only existed as book
money.
5556
Additionally, the Lira was pegged to the Euro at 1 Euro = 1,936.26 Lira.
The Italian Lira was issued by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato.
57


In Italy, the economic disparity appears between the wealthy Centre-North and the less
developed South and Islands. This disparity began after the second oil crisis and it
tends to grow during crisis periods.

55
The term originates in the value of P pound of high purity silver, and as such is a
direct cognate of the British Pound.
56
http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/euro/countries/italy_en.htm
57
http://www.oanda.com/currency/iso-currency-codes/ITL
Comment [BM29]: Here and in the previous
paragraphs a series of observations made
on the first version about specific figures,
dates, or errores de dedo have not been
taken into account.
Comment [BM30]: Same observation as
above. An ambiguity signaled in the
previous version has not been taken into
account.

Source: http://www.inequalitywatch.eu/spip.php?article139&id_mot=87

Internal Politics

Politics in Italy are ruled by the 1947 Constitution which came into force on January
1948. It is the first constitution that was made because before the country used the
Albertine Statute as fundamental law. From 1848, when it was granted by the King
Charles Albert, the Albertine Statute had been modified twice, first in a liberal way at the
end of XIX century and then with Benito Mussolini it took an authoritarian direction in
1922.
58
The Italian Constitution is composed by 139 articles which are divided in three parts:
The fundamental principles: from article 1 to article 12.
The rights and duties of citizens: from article 13 to article 54.
The organization of the republic: form article 55 to article 139.
The Italian political system is a parliamentary democratic republic. The political power is
divided into three branches: the executive, the legislative and the judicial power.
The executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers led by the Prime
Minister who is the head of government; his cabinet is nominated by the President. The

58
http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/564286/Statuto-Albertino

Comment [BM31]: OK. Just be aware that
by then Italy did not exist as such (so this
statute applied only in Sardinia). It
appeared as a unified country in 1861.
Rome was included to it later, in 1870.
Prime Minister or President of the Council conducts and holds responsibility for the
general policy of the government.
59
He coordinates the work of political and
administrative activities of the ministers in order to get good results.
The current Prime Minister is Matteo Renzi who took his charge on February 22
nd

2014.
60
He is the youngest Prime Minister in history and he has chosen a cabinet of with
16 members under 48 years old, members where half of them are women. It has been
told that the low profile of the politicians and technocrats that he had chosen, is to avoid
someone to challenge his control.
61

Matteo Renzi (Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/22/world/europe/italy-prime-minister-renzi/)
The head of state is the President of the Italian Republic, he represents the unity
of the nation, he has ceremonial duties, he is above political parties and he is

59
http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/statico/costituzione/pdf/costituzione_inglese.pdf

60
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/22/world/europe/italy-prime-minister-renzi/
61
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/22/uk-italy-politics-idUKBREA1K1R320140222
Comment [BM32]: Footnote
commander-in-chief of military forces.
62
To be a president in Italy the person must be
an Italian citizen with at least 50 years old, and have political and civil rights. The
president is elected by the two Chambers.
Currently, the Italian president is Giorgio Napolitano who took his charge in May 2006
and was reelected in April 2013. He is the first president to be reelected in the Italian
history.
Giorgio Napolitano. (Source: http://www.palermomania.it/news.php?id=59037)
The legislative power is a bicameral parliament, in Italy there are two chambers,
one is the Chamber of Deputies which has 630 seats, this is also known as the lower
chamber. On the other side there is the upper chamber which is the Senate composed
by 315 members, an interesting fact is that in the upper chamber there are 5 seats for
senators that have a life term charge, those senators are elected by the President of the

62
http://digilander.libero.it/mgtund/Iitalian_political_system.htm
Comment [BM33]: Footnote
Rrepublic because they have honored the Nation through their outstanding
achievements in the social, scientific, artistic and literary fields as life Senators
63

The Chamber of Deputies is elected by the Italian population that has the right to
vote, 12 deputies out of 630 are elected by the overseas constituency which means the
Italian citizens living abroad. This country is one of the few legislatures in the world that
does it. The government has to divide the number of inhabitants according to the last
census by 618 seats in the chamber of Deputies and distribute them in proportion to the
population in each electoral district, in order to get a fair representation.
There are several parties in Italy that participate in the political life, but the
strongest ones are Tthe Five Star mMovement, led by Beppe Grillo, the Democratic
Party led by Matteo Renzi and Forza Itallia by Silvio Berlusconi.
64
The current
government depends on a coalition of parties: the Democratic Party and the People of
Freedom Party, before known as Forza Italia. Both parties are Italys main left and
right wing representatives.
65



Source of images: (from left to right)
a.http://www.deliberatelyconsidered.com/2012/10/italy-still-the-sick-man-of-europe/
b. http://www.pdbologna.org/
c. http://www.lucacarabetta.it/movimento-5-stelle/

63
http://www.quirinale.it/qrnw/statico/costituzione/pdf/costituzione_inglese.pd
64
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html
65
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-22327445
Comment [BM34]: Italia!
Comment [BM35]: And now once again
That party appeared in 1993 as Forza
Italia, was called People of Freedom from
2008 to 2013, and then when back to its
original name. Italian politics (and
especially the parties) change very often, it
is hard to get up to date!

Italy is a flawed democracy; it is ranked in the number 32 according to the Democracy
Index of 2012.
66
This situation does not seem to improve, having into account that last
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is a polemical actor, and he has been accused, among
other things, of tax fraud, and paying for sex with an underage prostitute, however his
influences and power have helped him to appeal the verdicts and keep the cases open
without being send in prison.
67


Foreign Policy

Italy entered World War II in 1940 on the Axis side, with Germany and Japan,
and it declared war to the USSR in 1941. Mussolinis ambition for economic and political
dominance was the main cause of the entry of Italy, and also the signing of the Pact of
Steel with the Nazi Germany justified this.
During the WWII, Mussolini is was imprisoned by King Emmanuel III (the
legitimate king of Italy who maintained neutral during Mussolinis dictatorship) and then
he signed an armistice with the Allies and declared war to Germany in 1943.
68






66
https://portoncv.gov.cv/dhub/porton.por_global.open_file?p_doc_id=1034

67
http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/berlusconi-timeline/
68
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1065897.stm
Comment [BM36]: He was not the last
one. After he was forced to resign in 2011,
Mario Monti and then Enrico Letta were PM,
before the current one, Matteo Renzi.
Comment [BM37]: Quite recently he has
received for the first time a definitive
sanction: one year in jail, but due to his age
this jail sanction has been converted in one
year of community services.
http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow
/la-fg-wn-silvio-berlusconi-sentenced-
community-service-
20140415,0,4150086.story#axzz3023U29kj

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01567/mussolini1_1567977c.jpg

When the WWII ended Italy was divided: some people wanted to stay as a
kingdom and some people wanted to become a republic. So a referendum was made in
order to make a decision and the republic came into being on January 1948.
Then, with help from the American Marshall Plan, Italys economy was back on
its feet, and became one a founding member of NATO in 1949.
69

All this causes made Italy realize maintaining good relations with other countries
was good for it, and thats why Italy was a founding member of several IGOs that
promoted international cooperation, and nowadays that is still the main characteristic of
Italys foreign policy.



69
http://www.nationalcoldwarexhibition.org/the-cold-war/countries/
Comment [BM38]: Relevant information
but its place should be in the chapter
focused on internal politics.
Italy is worldwide known for its culture, tourism, and cuisine. Italy is home of
several world-famous cities and the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites,
it has 100,000 monuments of any sort (churches, cathedrals, statues, archeological
sites and houses).
Italian cuisine is very important to national identity, it is one of the first thoughts
that comes to peoples heads minds when they hear Italy. Italian food is known for its
simplicity and its main ingredients are fresh fruits and vegetables, pasta, meats and
sauces.
70


http://www.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000fjYYCBfjgis/s/650/333/Leaning-Tower-Pisa-
Italy-Photos-Pictures-27701.jpg
Italy is not a nuclear country because it is part of the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, this means Italy cant make nuclear weapons and it
can only receive host nuclear weapons from USA under NATO agreements
71

Italy is nowadays the only G8 country without its own nuclear plants and the only
one that relies on nuclear power imports.
72


70
http://www.italia.it/en/home.html
71
http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/euro/euro.pdf
Comment [BM39]: Footnote
Comment [BM40]: Be very careful with
that: a country can at the same time be a
nuclear power and a part of this Treaty.
Example: the USA, Russia, GB, France and
China!
Comment [BM41]: Right, but the problem is
that during the exposition you have said
something different: you stated that Italy
was the only one G8 country without
nuclear weapons, which is something very
different
Italys military branches operate on national territory and overseas missions for
NATO, UN, OSCE, EU, and Multinational Forces, among others.
Italy spends approximately 1.69% of its GDP in its military branches, based on
information from 2012. This information includes all current and capital expenditures on
the armed forces, including peacekeeping forces.
73

Italy is an active member in numerous IGOs and international initiatives, the most
important ones are the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, European
Union, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, G-8, G-20,
International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and the World Bank.
74

As a founding member of the ECSC, the EU, the UN and NATO it has been
considered as a regional, economic and military power, and its participation is very
important in several of them.
Italy has a very outstanding role in NATO and UN military operations; assistance
to Russia and the New Independent States, it has also participated in the Middle East
peace process, and combating drug, children and women trafficking.
75

As a member of the European Union and NATO, Italy has strong links with all the
member states of those two IGOs.
76

Germany and France are Italys top trading partners and Italy maintains strong
relations with both countries, and since the three states belong to the EU it makes it
easier to trade.
Other particular relation that Italy has is the one with Russia. According to Italys
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this relationship is strategic because is based in common

72
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-G-N/Italy/
73
http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/milex_database
74
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4033.htm
75
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2107.html
76
http://history.state.gov/countries/italy
interests and interdependence. This relationship strengthened during the Berlusconis
government, due to his personal friendship with Putin.
77

Particularly, Italy relations with the United States are strong, warm and friendly.
The diplomatic relations with Italy were first established in 1861 after the unification of
Italy into one state, and with the recognition of the independence of the Kingdom of Italy
by the United States.
78

In 1941 Italy declared war (with the other World War II Axis powers: Germany
and Japan) to the U.S. and their relations were severed. The relations were
reestablished in 1945 with the re-opening of the U.S. embassy in Rome.
During the Iraq war, the U.S. requested troops from Italy in 2003 to help topple
Saddam Hussein, but Berlusconi did not sent troops to help the U.S. British coalition
and he even tried to convince U.S. president George Bush, to not to go to war. After the
fall of Baghdad in April 2003, he sent 3200 troops to the coalition and the relationship
continued.
79

Italian relations with the U.S. continued growing stronger: both countries are
NATO and UN allies and they cooperate in various regional organizations for peace,
security and prosperity.

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Britannica. (n.d.). Statuto Albertino.Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 12, 2014,
from http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/564286/Statuto-Albertino

77

http://www.esteri.it/MAE/EN/Politica_Estera/Aree_Geografiche/Europa/I_nuovi_rapporti
.htm
78
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4033.htm
79
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4394402.stm
Comment [BM42]: Good. This data should
have been included in chapter IV.
Comment [BM43]: The first version of your
written version was already quite good.
Some improvements have been made to it,
but some specific observations (either
regarding formal issues or more meaningful
ones) have not been taken into account,
specifically in the third chapter (except
regarding external trade and companies,
where changes have been made). Some
factual mistakes were made in some
additions you made, for instance regarding
Berlusconi (not the last PM) or the Non
Proliferation Treaty (which is not
incompatible with the status of a nuclear
power).
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