Italy and the EU

Latest business news about Italy and the European Union.

Factories near pollution may be held responsible: EU court — 09 March 2010, 18:53 CET

Factories located close to polluted areas may be deemed responsible and made to carry out remedial measures, the European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday.

Italy slammed by EU court over Naples garbage — 04 March 2010, 13:14 CET

Europe's highest court has slammed Italy for its failure to clean-up a garbage crisis in the Naples region that was declared over by PM Silvio Berlusconi over 18 months ago.

Italian president calls for European monetary fund — 03 March 2010, 16:27 CET

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano called on Wednesday for the creation of a European monetary fund to help eurozone nations in trouble.

Italy criticizes EU decision on GMO potato — 02 March 2010, 16:02 CET

Italy's agriculture minister Tuesday slammed a decision by the European Commission to allow a genetically modified potato to be grown in Europe and said he was mulling challenging the move.

Italy launches 2 billion euro tax evasion probe — 26 February 2010, 22:47 CET

Italy's tax agency and financial police said on Friday they were investigating more than 2,000 Italians for allegedly evading more than 2.0 billion euros in tax, hiding the money in tax havens abroad.

Italy launches 2.0-billion-euro tax evasion probe — 26 February 2010, 20:57 CET

Italy's tax agency and financial police said on Friday they were investigating more than 2,000 Italians for allegedly evading more than 2.0 billion euros in tax by hiding the money in havens abroad.

EU needs new economic model: Italy finance minister — 23 February 2010, 19:37 CET

Italy's Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti said Tuesday that after the crisis Europe needs to think of a "new economic model geared more towards public investment."

Italy asks EU to suspend raw material import tariffs — 22 February 2010, 16:32 CET

Italy asked the European Commission to suspend import tariffs on raw materials such as iron, silk and leather, an Italian trade minister said in a report published Monday.

Swiss, Libyan foreign ministers to hold talks on travel ban row — 17 February 2010, 22:33 CET

The Swiss and Libyan foreign ministers will meet in Madrid Thursday to try to resolve a row over Bern's travel ban on 186 Libyans, including Moamer Kadhafi.

Italy urges Swiss to drop travel ban against Libyans — 17 February 2010, 17:27 CET

Italy on Wednesday asked Switzerland to scrap its travel ban against 186 Libyans -- including the country's leader Moamer Kadhafi -- while urging Tripoli to free two Swiss nationals in its custody.

Prodi to teach at China business school — 10 February 2010, 11:58 CET

Former European Commission president and Italian prime minister Romano Prodi has accepted a one-year professorship at a top business school in China.

Italy's ENI to sell gas pipelines to assuage EU — 04 February 2010, 17:27 CET

Italian energy group ENI announced Thursday it will sell its interests in three international gas pipelines to bring to end an EU probe over suspicions of abuse of its dominant market position.

Israel wants Rome's help in blacklisting Iran's Guards — 02 February 2010, 09:32 CET

Israel has asked Italy for help in getting the European Union to list the elite Revolutionary Guards of arch-foe Iran as a "terrorist group," a senior minister said on Tuesday.

Berlusconi says Israel should join EU — 01 February 2010, 21:12 CET

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said at the start of a three-day visit to Israel on Monday that the Jewish state's future belongs in the European Union.

Italy halts bluefin fishing for a year — 30 January 2010, 18:49 CET

Italy is to stop fishing for bluefin tuna, the lucrative but over-exploited species beloved of Japanese sushi fans, for 12 months, the European Union said on Saturday.

Berlusconi asks Alcoa chief not to shut plants in Italy — 29 January 2010, 22:27 CET

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday asked the head of US aluminium giant Alcoa not to close its factories in Italy.

EU takes Italy to court over illegal aid to Sardinia hotels — 29 January 2010, 13:42 CET

The EU's competition watchdog decided Friday to take Italy to the European court over its failure to recover illegal aid from hotels in Sardinia.

Italy's non-EU trade goes into surplus in December — 27 January 2010, 12:17 CET

Italy enjoyed a trade surplus of 1.26 billion euros with its partners outside the European Union in December compared with a 66 million euro deficit a year earlier, official figures showed Wednesday.

Alcoa to shutter Italian plants — 26 January 2010, 21:47 CET

US aluminium giant Alcoa said Tuesday that it planned to shut down two plants in Italy temporarily as it waited for a solution to the problem of high energy prices.

Italian mozzarella scandal may lead to resignation — 24 January 2010, 21:12 CET

The head of an Italian buffalo mozzarella makers' consortium, put under watch after inspectors discovered traces of cow milk in samples of the product, said Sunday he was planning to resign.

Italy uncovers buffalo mozzarella fraud — 21 January 2010, 19:42 CET

Italy has placed producers of prized buffalo-milk mozzarella under watch after inspectors discovered traces of cow milk in samples of the product, the agriculture ministry said Thursday.

Greece has EU backing in debt crisis: Spain — 14 January 2010, 17:07 CET

Greece has the backing of the European Union as it struggles to overcome ominous debt and deficit crises, the Spanish finance minister, whose country holds the EU presidency, said Thursday.

Italian official public deficit jumps to 3.3 per cent of output — 08 January 2010, 16:15 CET

Italy's public deficit grew to 3.3 percent of gross domestic product in the third quarter, compared with 1.3 percent 12 months year earlier, the national statistical institute Istat said on Friday.

Italian minister calls for preventive strategy on Islamic extremism — 03 January 2010, 22:17 CET

The European Union must develop a strategy of prevention to deal with the terrorist threat in Yemen, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in a television interview Sunday.

Europe must not isolate Iran over human rights: Italy — 02 January 2010, 14:37 CET

The European Union must press Iran to respect human rights but without burning all bridges with the country, Italy's foreign minister said Saturday, stressing Tehran's role in negotiating world conflicts.