Italy rains on Euro Parade. (Insider Report).(European Union currency introduction)(Brief Article)

Italy was not a pretty picture on "Euro Day," the January 1st kickoff of the new euro currency. The BBC reported on January 4th that "Italy's conversion to the euro is proving to be by far the most chaotic of any eurozone country. By Wednesday night, just 3 per cent of transactions were being conducted in euros, compared with 50 per cent in France and The Netherlands." Long queues of angry patrons at banks, railway stations, shops, motorway tollbooths, and post offices were reported throughout Italy.

The center-right coalition government of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been under constant fire from the left since taking power eight months ago. Its tepid support for the launch of the new money and critical comments about the euro by several of its cabinet ministers provided the pretext for another round of attacks. The pro-euro media and politicians pointed out that Italy was the only country among the 12 European Union (EU) nations swapping their currencies that wasn't celebrating the event with some kind of public ceremony or festivity. Italian consumers and retailers were chided for resisting the conversion from the lira to the euro.

On January 3rd, Berlusconi's foreign minister, Renato Ruggiero, started a row by severely criticizing several of his cabinet colleagues for negative statements and attitudes toward the EU and the euro. Ruggiero, the strongest pro-EU voice in the Berlusconi government, said he was "extremely worried" because "opposition is not strong -- it is very strong." Ruggiero was said to be ...