Italian News: James Dozier visit, Anti-Migrant law, Budgeted Deficit; Far-Right Alliance

           Retired American General James Dozier visited Italy, 37 years after his 1981 kidnapping by the Red Brigades, to thank the Italian government for rescuing him and the Italian people for supporting him and his family during and after his kidnapping.  The rescue of the U.S. General, who was nabbed near an American military base in Verona, contributed to the decline of the Red Brigades, a bloody Communist militant organization.

            The Italian Parliament approved the populist Government’s proposed anti-immigration law.  The measure ostensibly allows those seeking asylum from war, but not those migrating for economic reasons, and requires mass deportations, even though there has been a sharp decrease this year in the number of migrants reaching Italy.  Migrants to Europe usually arrive in Italy first, but settle in other European states.  Greece, Malta and Spain are other ports of entry.  The President of the Republic urged respect for the Italian Constitution and human rights laws in regard to refugees fleeing persecution.

            The Parliament also approved the Italian budget for 2019.  It has flat tax for the self-employed and some privatizations, but the deficit of 2.4% of the gross domestic product exceeds European Union spending rules.  The populist Government’s spending spree of tens of billions of dollars includes welfare in the form of transfer payments to every citizen, reversing pension reforms and payments to victims of bank fraud.   The Government claims the budget will stimulate economic growth, leading to lower deficits in two years, but EU officials have been alarmed by the spending, and financial markets have reacted negatively.  Italy has the third largest economy in the eurozone.  The situation is aggravated by the hostile attitude of the Euroskeptic populist Government that rejects any constructive criticism, even from Italian EU officials.  One of the EU officials criticizing the Italian budget is European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, who is an Italian and a member of the center-right party of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.  The ex-premier has been critical of the Government and the alliance between his coalition partner, the far-right League, and the more center-left main populist party.  

           The League has announced an alliance with the main far-right pro-Russian French party in the elections for the European Parliament.