Italy wins in Europe – The Brussels meeting on the future of the euro and the semi-final of the European soccer Cup were two important matches that Italy played on June 28, and both – as the foreign press emphasized – with magnificent results. The day after the Italian team coached by Prandelli beat Germany in Warsaw, the foreign press called the game “seductive” (Diario de Noticias – Sedutora Itália derrota a sua velha cultura), reported that Italy was capable of “dominating in tactics” (La Vanguardia – Balotelli sella el “dominio tactico” de Italia) and that it played a “perfect game” that “brought Germany to its knees (La Vanguardia – Prandelli: ‘El partido perfecto’; La Tribune de Geneve – Forza Italia! «Super Mario» met l’allemagne à genoux). But the main spotlight was shone on the European meeting that decided the future of the monetary union. Although the meeting of the heads of the Eurozone risked going into overtime (as predicted by the Wall Street Journal, June 28 – EU Summit May Go to Penalty Kicks). Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti played a central role in the negotiations. The man who, just before the meeting, appeared to take the role of referee in the confrontation between France and Germany (Le Figaro, June 26 – Mario Monti en arbitre du différend franco-allemand*), managed to at least partially unblock the situation (El Pais June 29 – Monti: “Se ha evitado un lunes negro. Europa sale reforzada”). The result of the new regulations protecting banks received particular attention from the Spanish press, which reported on Spain’s support for the Italian proposals (June 29 in Expansion – Monti y Rajoy ganan: la UE recapitalizará bancos directamente; El Mundo – La eurozona cede ante España e Italia y acepta sus peticiones para rebajar la presión de los mercados).
Labor reform: cultural change – The foreign press also focused on the reforms passed by the Italian government. The “historic” changes to the labor market (Le Figaro, June 26 – L’Italie vote une réforme historique du droit du travail*; Handelsblatt, June 27 – Monti treibt Reform des Arbeitsmarktes voran) and the “cultural change” they imply were the subject of an interview with Italian Labor Minister Elsa Fornero in the Wall Street Journal that was widely discussed in Italy (June 27 – Italy Official Seeks Culture Shift in New Law*).
Fashion Week in Milan – Milan’s Fashion Week brought the Made in Italy brand back to the pages of the foreign press. As usual, American (Washington Post, June 24 – Bright colors on Milan fashion runways light up the menswear horizon for summer 2013) and French papers (Le Figaro, June 25 – Bonnes impressions de Milan) followed the runways closely. Bloomberg, on the other hand, reported on Ferragamo’s growing profits in China (June 24 – Ferragamo CEO Says China Still Growing at ‘Significant’ Pace). There was also focus on Italian fashion houses in the Financial Times (Jun 27 – Dolce & Gabbana launches couture*) and Le Monde. In particular, the French paper discussed the career of Giorgio Armani, calling him the “emperor” of fashion (June 28 – Armani l’Imperator*).
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