https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he was "confident" Rome could avoid unprecedented EU sanctions over its big-spending budget, rejected by Brussels, following talks with European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker. https://www.thelocal.it/20181125/italy-pm-confident-rome-can-avoid-eu-sanctions-over-budget Sun, 25 Nov 2018 10:01:32 +0100 italy-pm-confident-rome-can-avoid-eu-sanctions-over-budget Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed a special commission to study the possibility of women becoming deacons in a potentially historic opening on a vexed issue for the Catholic Church. https://www.thelocal.it/20160802/papal-commission-to-consider-female-deacons-in-church-vatican Tue, 02 Aug 2016 14:27:26 +0200 papal-commission-to-consider-female-deacons-in-church-vatican The EU's top court ruled on Thursday the European Commission can order member states to cut down thousands of olive trees infected by deadly bacteria after Italian authorities halted the felling in December. https://www.thelocal.it/20160609/eu-can-now-order-italy-to-cut-down-thousands-of-sick-olive-trees Thu, 09 Jun 2016 13:02:30 +0200 eu-can-now-order-italy-to-cut-down-thousands-of-sick-olive-trees The EU opened an inquiry on Wednesday into Italian state aid for the struggling Ilva steel works, the largest in the bloc and one of its most polluting, the European Commission said. https://www.thelocal.it/20160120/eu-opens-probe-into-italian-aid-for-polluting-ilva-steelworks Wed, 20 Jan 2016 13:01:14 +0100 eu-opens-probe-into-italian-aid-for-polluting-ilva-steelworks The financial unit of Fiat and the US coffee chain, Starbucks, have been told to each repay €20-€30 million in back taxes after the two companies were granted selective tax advantages in Luxembourg and the Netherlands, the European Commission said on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20151021/fiat-hit-with-30-million-tax-bill Wed, 21 Oct 2015 13:56:34 +0200 fiat-hit-with-30-million-tax-bill Italy’s economy is expected to return to growth this year and the recovery to strengthen in 2016 as external demand and exports pick up, according to the latest forecast from the European Commission (EC). https://www.thelocal.it/20150505/exports-and-investment-to-spur-italys-growth Tue, 05 May 2015 14:08:48 +0200 exports-and-investment-to-spur-italys-growth The EU unveiled a ten-point action plan on Monday to stem the tide of migrants crossing the Mediterranean after the latest disastrous loss of life, promising to step up both control and rescue operations. https://www.thelocal.it/20150421/eu-proposes-migrant-crisis-action-plan Tue, 21 Apr 2015 10:11:45 +0200 eu-proposes-migrant-crisis-action-plan Should you ever need a lawyer in Italy, you’ll have little problem finding one. With 375 per 100,000 people, the country ranks joint second with Greece in a list of EU states with the most lawyers published on Monday. https://www.thelocal.it/20150310/italy-packed-with-lawyers-but-justice-slow Tue, 10 Mar 2015 15:03:27 +0100 italy-packed-with-lawyers-but-justice-slow With slow and inconsistent internet connection being the bane of many peoples' lives in Italy, it will probably come as no surprise that the country is the fourth worst in the EU for 'digital performance'. https://www.thelocal.it/20150225/italy-among-eus-worst-digital-nations Wed, 25 Feb 2015 10:06:00 +0100 italy-among-eus-worst-digital-nations European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans on Friday called for tough action to be taken against Dutch football fans who clashed with Rome police in riotous scenes that Mayor Ignazio Marino said “devastated and injured” the capital. https://www.thelocal.it/20150220/ecs-timmermans-slams-barbaric-dutch-fans Fri, 20 Feb 2015 14:09:00 +0100 ecs-timmermans-slams-barbaric-dutch-fans Italy’s economy is set for a gradual recovery this year as exports grow and households have more money to spend due to lower energy bills, according to the latest forecast from the European Commission (EC). https://www.thelocal.it/20150205/exports-and-lower-energy-bills-to-spur-italy-economy Thu, 05 Feb 2015 17:57:00 +0100 exports-and-lower-energy-bills-to-spur-italy-economy The EU vowed on Friday to fight people smugglers' new tactic of abandoning "ghost ships" full of migrants off European coasts. https://www.thelocal.it/20150102/eu-vows-to-fight-new-tactics-by-migrant-smugglers Fri, 02 Jan 2015 15:49:00 +0100 eu-vows-to-fight-new-tactics-by-migrant-smugglers Italy’s economy will grow by 0.6 percent in 2015, spurring a “fragile economic recovery”, according to a European Commission report published on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20141104/italy-set-for-fragile-recovery-in-2015 Tue, 04 Nov 2014 15:31:00 +0100 italy-set-for-fragile-recovery-in-2015