Establishment Of Regional Governments Throughout Italy example essay topic

INTRODUCTION Italy is largely homogeneous linguistically and religiously but is diverse culturally, economically, and politically. Italy has the fifth-highest population density in Europe -- about 200 persons per square kilometer (490/sq. mi. ). Minority groups are small, the largest being the German-speaking people of Bolzano Province and the Slovenes around Trieste. Other groups comprise small communities of Albanian, Greek, Ladino, and French origin.

Although Roman Catholicism is the majority religion -- 85% of native-born citizens are nominally Catholic -- all religious faiths are provided equal freedom before the law by the constitution. FOREIGN RELATIONS Italy was a founding member of the European Community -- now the European Union (EU). Italy was admitted to the United Nations in 1955 and is a member and strong supporter of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade / World Trade Organization (GATT / WTO), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Western European Union (WEU), and the Council of Europe. It chaired the CSCE and the G-7 in 1994 and the EU in 1996.

Italy firmly supports the United Nations and its international security activities. Italy actively participated in and deployed troops in support of UN peacekeeping missions in Somalia, Mozambique, and Cambodia and provides critical support for NATO and UN operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Albania. The Italian Government seeks to obtain consensus with other European countries on various defense and security issues within the WEU as well as NATO. European integration and the development of common defense and security policies will continue to be of primary interest to Italy. U.S. -ITALY RELATIONS The United States enjoys warm and friendly relations with Italy. The two are NATO allies and cooperate in the United Nations; in various regional organizations; and bilaterally for peace, prosperity, and defense. Italy has worked closely with the United States and others on such issues as NATO and UN operations in Bosnia and Kosovo; sanctions against the former Yugoslavia; assistance to Russia and the New Independent States (NIS); Middle East peace process multilateral talks; Somalia and Mozambique peacekeeping; and combating drug trafficking, trafficking in women and children, and terrorism.

Under longstanding bilateral agreements flowing from NATO membership, Italy hosts important U.S. military forces at Vicenza and Livorno (Army); Avia no (Air Force); and Sigonella, Greta, and Naples -- home port for the U.S. Navy Sixth Fleet. The United States has about 17,000 military personnel stationed in Italy. Italy hosts the NATO War College in Rome. Italy remains a strong and active transatlantic partner which, along with the United States, has sought to foster democratic ideals and international cooperation in areas of strife and civil conflict. Toward this end, the Italian Government has cooperated with the U.S. in the formulation of defense, security, and peacekeeping policies. ECONOMY The Italian economy has changed dramatically since the end of World War II.

From an agriculturally based economy, it has developed into an industrial state ranked as the world's fifth-largest industrial economy. Italy belongs to the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations; it is a member of the European Union and the OECD. Italy has few natural resources. With much of the land unsuited for farming, it is a net food importer. There are no substantial deposits of iron, coal, or oil. Proven natural gas reserves, mainly in the Po Valley and offshore Adriatic, have grown in recent years and constitute the country's most important mineral resource.

Most raw materials needed for manufacturing and more than 80% of the country's energy sources are imported. Italy's economic strength is in the processing and the manufacturing of goods, primarily in small and medium-sized family-owned firms. Its major industries are precision machinery, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electric goods, and fashion and clothing. Italy is in the midst of a slow economic recovery but lags behind most of its west European neighbors. Italy's economy accelerated from anemic 0.7% growth in 1996 to 1.4% in 1999, still one of the lowest growth rates among industrialized economies.

Domestic demand and exports were the dominant factors in GDP growth. Most economic forecasters expect GDP growth to increase to around 2.8% in 2000. While exports declined during 1999, imports grew, resulting in a trade surplus of $14 billion in 1999, down from $27 billion in 1998, and $47.1 billion in 1997. Italy has continued to build foreign exchange reserves to $80 billion in 1998, a record high.

On inflation, Italy is now firmly within norms specified for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), a major achievement for this historically inflation-prone country. Consumer inflation fell from 3.9% in 1996 to 1.5% in 1997, but rose gradually to 1.9% in 1999. The 2000 target of 1.5% seems well within reach. The 1992 agreement on wage adjustments, which has helped keep wage pressures on inflation low, remains in effect.

Tight monetary policy by the Bank of Italy also has helped bring inflation expectations down. Since 1992, economic policy in Italy has focused primarily on reducing government budget deficits and reining in the national debt. Successive Italian governments have adopted annual austerity budgets with cutbacks in spending, as well as new revenue raising measures. Italy has enjoyed a primary budget surplus, net of interest payments, for the last 7 years. The deficit in public administration is expected to decline to 1.5% of GDP in 2000, down from 7% in 1995. Italy joined the European Monetary Union in May 1998.

The national debt should continue to decline slowly. It stabilized in 1995 at roughly 124% of GDP and is expected to decline to 111% of GDP in 2000. Given the heavy weight of interest payments in government expenditures, public finances remain susceptible to international capital market developments, as well as domestic political developments. Italy's closest trade ties are with the other countries of the European Union, with whom it conducts about 59% of its total trade. Italy's largest EU trade partners, in order of market share, are Germany (18%), France (13%), and the United Kingdom (7%). U.S. -Italy Economic Relations The U.S. -Italian bilateral relationship is strong and growing. The U.S. and Italy cooperate closely on major economic issues, including within the G-8.

With a large population and a high per capita income, Italy is one of the United States' most important trade partners. In 1999, the United States was the fourth-largest foreign supplier of the Italian market (with a market share of 5.6%) and the largest supplier outside the EU. Total trade between the United States and Italy exceeded $30 billion in 1999. The U.S. ran more than a $6 billion deficit with Italy. Significant changes are occurring in the composition of this trade which could narrow the gap. More value-added products such as office machinery and aircraft are becoming the principal U.S. exports to Italy.

The change reveals the growing sophistication of the Italian market, and bilateral trade should expand further. During 1998, the United States imported about $19 billion in Italian goods while exporting about $11.3 billion in U.S. goods to Italy. U.S. foreign direct investment in Italy at the end of 1998 exceeded $14.3 billion; Italian investment in the U.S. was roughly $9 billion. GOVERNMENT Italy has been a democratic republic since June 2, 1946, when the monarchy was abolished by popular referendum. The constitution was promulgated on January 1, 1948. The Italian state is highly centralized.

The prefect of each of the provinces is appointed by and answerable to the central government. In addition to the provinces, the constitution provides for 20 regions with limited governing powers. Five regions -- Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle d'Aosta, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia -- function with special autonomy statutes. The other 15 regions were established in 1970 and vote for regional 'councils.

' The establishment of regional governments throughout Italy has brought some decentralization to the national governmental machinery. The 1948 constitution established a bicameral Parliament (Chamber of Deputies and Senate), a separate judiciary, and an executive branch composed of a Council of Ministers (cabinet) which is headed by the president of the council (prime minister). The president of the republic is elected for 7 years by the Parliament sitting jointly with a small number of regional delegates. The president nominates the prime minister, who chooses the other ministers. The Council of Ministers -- in practice composed mostly of members of Parliament -- must retain the confidence of both houses. The houses of Parliament are popularly and directly elected by a mixed majoritarian and proportional representation system.

Under 1993 legislation, Italy has single-member districts for 75% of the seats in Parliament; the remaining 25% of seats are allotted on a proportional basis. The Chamber of Deputies has 630 members. In addition to 315 elected members, the Senate includes former presidents and several other persons appointed for life according to special constitutional provisions. Both houses are elected for a maximum of 5 years, but either may be dissolved before the expiration of its normal term.

Legislative bills may originate in either house and must be passed by a majority in both. The Italian judicial system is based on Roman law modified by the Napoleonic code and subsequent statutes. There is only partial judicial review of legislation in the American sense. A constitutional court, which passes on the constitutionality of laws, is a post-World War II innovation. Its powers, volume, and frequency of decisions are not as extensive as those of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Principal Government Officials President -- Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Prime Minister -- Giuliano Amato Foreign Minister -- Lamberto Dini Ambassador to the United States -- Ferdinando Salle o POLITICAL CONDITIONS There have been frequent government turnovers since 1945. The dominance of the Christian Democratic (DC) Party during much of the postwar period lent continuity and comparative stability to Italy's political situation. From 1992 to 1997, Italy faced significant challenges as voters -- disenchanted with past political paralysis, massive government debt, extensive corruption, and organized crime's considerable influence -- demanded political, economic, and ethical reforms. In 1993 referendums, voters approved substantial changes, including moving from a proportional to a largely majoritarian electoral system and the abolishment of some ministries.

Major political parties, beset by scandal and loss of voter confidence, underwent far-reaching changes. New political forces and new alignments of power emerged in March 1994 national elections: There was a major turnover in the new parliament, with 452 out of 630 deputies and 213 out of 315 senators elected for the first time. The 1994 elections also swept media magnate Silvio Berlusconi -- and his 'Freedom Pole' coalition -- into office as Prime Minister. However, Berlusconi was forced to step down in January 1995 when one member of his coalition withdrew support. The Berlusconi government was succeeded by a technical government headed by Prime Minister Lamberto Dini, which fell in early 1996. In April 1996, national elections were again held and led to the victory of a center-left coalition (the Olive Tree) led by Romano Prodi.

Prodi's government became the third-longest to stay in power before he narrowly lost a vote of confidence (by three votes) in October 1998. A new government was formed by Democratic Party of the Left leader and former-communist Massimo D'Alema. Like Prodi's government, D'Alema's coalition included the Democratic Party of the Left (DS), the Italian People's Party (PPI), the newly created Italian Communist Party (split from the Communist Renewal in October 1998) and other small, center-left groups. D'Alema resigned following the center-left losses in regional elections and was succeeded in April 2000 by Giuliano Amato.

In May 1999, the Parliament selected Carlo Azeglio Ciampi as the new Italian President (replacing Oscar Luigi Sc alfaro). Ciampi, a former Prime Minister, and serving Minister of Treasury, was elected on the first ballot with an easy margin over the required two-thirds votes. Political Parties Italy's dramatic self-renewal transformed the political landscape between 1992 and 1997. Scandal investigations touched thousands of politicians, administrators, and businessmen; the shift from a proportional to majoritarian voting system -- with the requirement to obtain a minimum of 4% of the national vote to obtain representation -- also altered the political landscape. Party changes were sweeping.

The Christian Democratic party dissolved; the Italian People's Party and the Christian Democratic Center emerged. Other major parties, such as the Socialists, saw support plummet. New movements such as Forza Italia, led by former Prime Minister Berlusconi, gained wide support. The National Alliance broke from the neo fascist Italian Social Movement.

A trend toward two large coalitions -- one on the center-left and the other on the center-right -- emerged from the April 1995 regional elections. For the 1996 national elections, the center-left parties created the Olive Tree coalition while the center right united again under the Freedom Pole. This emerging bipolarity represents a major break from the fragmented, multiparty political landscape of the postwar era, but attempts were defeated in 1999 and again in 2000 to remove the last vestiges of the proportional system of representation. The three largest parties in the Chamber are Democratic Party of the Left, Forza Italia, and the National Alliance.

The same rankings generally apply in the Senate. CURRENT EVENTS The new U.S. environment supremo told her G 8 partners that Washington is serious about cleaning up the planet. Christine Todd Whitman is aware that there are doubts over President George W. Bush's position on green issues -- particularly on global warming. The 1997 Kyoto pact on reducing pollution blamed for climate change. European Union countries are curious to know whether Bush would return to negotiations on sealing, an agreement he had called 'unfair to America' during his election campaign. Whitman said: 'The president has said global climate change is the greatest environmental challenge that we face and that we must recognise that and take steps to move forward.

' The president would oversee bi-partisan legislation to limit carbon dioxide from U.S. power plants for the first time. Some EU countries had clashed with the U.S. at the last effort to get the global warming strategy off the ground. 'Ms Whitman was very positive about climate change being a global issue, about the scientific evidence and that the Kyoto framework was something they should work within,' a senior British official said. Green groups also felt buoyed by the Whitman effect.

'Whitman led a move forward. She could have come to play a spoiler role, but she came to build relationships and bring the message that George Bush thinks that climate change is a serious problem,' World Wildlife Fund's climate campaigner Jennifer Morgan said. Even when Bush was a Texas governor environmentalists have accused him of having a poor track record in environmental policy. A U.N. scientific panel has said the average global temperature is likely to rise by between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees Celsius (2.5-10.4 Fahrenheit) over the next 100 years. Sea levels could rise by as much as 88 cm (35 inches).

Such a change in temperature would mean widespread droughts and floods and massive economic and natural damage, experts say. CLOSING I hope this paper has informed you about Italy's Government, culture, and people. With one of the lowest growth rates Italy is still an important part of the global economy as a member of NATO, OECD, GATT, OSCE and WEU. As one of the leading importers Italy will continue to help our globalization work positively for everyone.