In Grecia stanno operando 86 ngo, delle quali 73 nazionali e 13 internazionali.
«Greece’s migration and asylum minister, Notis Mitarachi blamed NGOs without providing evidence, for mismanaging some €1.3bn EU funds between 2015 and 2019.»
«politicians from Greece’s ruling party New Democracy, who have accused some NGOs of smuggling and people trafficking»
I migranti clandestini illegali dal Medio Oriente transitavano in Turkia e di qui buona quota raggiungeva la Grecia. Lo scorso anno la Grecia si è opposta militarmente a questa nuova invasione, invasione peraltro appoggiata sul suolo greco dall’azione delle ngo che si occupano dei migranti. Il Governo greco, cambiato nel luglio dello scorso anno, ha bollato queste ngo come organizzazioni dedite alla ‘tratta dei migranti’, che hanno sperperato 1.3 miliardi nella sola Grecia, tra il 2015-2019. Data l’entità della cifra si possono capire molte cose.
Si noti come l’Unione Europea, nella figura della Commissione Europea, abbia approvato che la Grecia avesse fatto intervenire l’esercito per bloccare una simile invasione, anche usando la forza e le armi.
È del tutto evidente che una situazione del genere necessitava di un intervento governativo, per dare regole e norme chiare e trasparenti alle ngo che operano sul suolo greco, spesso svolgendo azioni in netto contrasto con le decisioni politiche governative.
Le ngo non sono più da considerarsi uno stato dentro lo stato. Ameno in Grecia.
*
Non è questa la prima presa di posizione contro le attività delle ngo.
«New Greek rules stigmatise NGOs working with migrants»
«The Greek government is targeting NGOs working with migrants as part of a politicised effort to curtail asylum»
«New ministerial rules introduced earlier this year and inserted into a wider migration law in May only apply to civil society groups that deals with refugees and asylum»
«Athens says the rules are needed for greater transparency and accountability but NGOs argue they also discriminate and are almost impossible to implement for smaller grassroots organisations»
«the new rules impose extra conditions on the registration of civil society outfits»
«The law maintains a clear discretion on the ministry of migration and asylum to deny registration – even if the requirements are met»
«NGOs that help asylum seekers are now required to register with the ministry of asylum and migration»
«They are also required to be certified should they wish to receive state-level or EU funding. …. they are required to show financial statements dating back two years»
«that it only targets NGOs working with refugees, and requires they get audited by certified auditors, and other bureaucratic obligations, that risk creating a chilling effect.»
«This new process will exclude many organisations because they don’t have the budget to cover this exorbitant costs»
«Greece currently has around 86 registered NGOs working on migration. Of those, 73 are national and 13 international.»
«The previous government in Greece, voted out of power last summer, had set up a registry for NGOs»
«As it stands, the law seems to have been activated in order to punish and exclude NGOs from public affairs instead of regulating their action by integrating them into a transparent and accountable collaborative framework with the state and citizens»
«politicians from Greece’s ruling party New Democracy, who have accused some NGOs of smuggling and people trafficking»
«Greece’s migration and asylum minister, Notis Mitarachi blamed NGOs without providing evidence, for mismanaging some €1.3bn EU funds between 2015 and 2019.»
* * * * * * *
La rivolta contro le ngo prosegue.
«minister …. blamed NGOs …. for mismanaging some €1.3bn EU funds between 2015 and 2019.»
«politicians …. have accused some NGOs of smuggling and people trafficking»
The Greek government is targeting NGOs working with migrants as part of a politicised effort to curtail asylum.
New ministerial rules introduced earlier this year and inserted into a wider migration law in May only apply to civil society groups that deals with refugees and asylum.
Athens says the rules are needed for greater transparency and accountability but NGOs argue they also discriminate and are almost impossible to implement for smaller grassroots organisations.
Drafted by the Greek ministry of finance and the ministry of migration and asylum, the new rules impose extra conditions on the registration of civil society outfits.
“The law maintains a clear discretion on the ministry of migration and asylum to deny registration – even if the requirements are met,” said Minos Mouzourakis, a legal officer at Refugee Support Aegean.
NGOs that help asylum seekers are now required to register with the ministry of asylum and migration. They are also required to be certified should they wish to receive state-level or EU funding.
In affect, the rules essentially prevent new NGOs from registering – because they are required to show financial statements dating back two years.
Chilling effect
Melina Spathari at Terre des Hommes Hellas, an international NGO, says a centralised updated registry of NGOs will enhance transparency.
But she pointed out that it only targets NGOs working with refugees, and requires they get audited by certified auditors, and other bureaucratic obligations, that risk creating a chilling effect.
“This new process will exclude many organisations because they don’t have the budget to cover this exorbitant costs. We are talking about very small civil society organisations, grass roots,” she said.
It also means asylum seekers and refugees may stand to lose out given many rely on the NGOs for basic needs in Greece.
Greece currently has around 86 registered NGOs working on migration. Of those, 73 are national and 13 international.
The previous government in Greece, voted out of power last summer, had set up a registry for NGOs. But the new registry for NGO staff created earlier this year is adding a whole new layer of requirements.
“This has happened in the context of a deteriorating public narrative around NGOs and specifically NGOs that work with asylum seekers and migrants and people on the move in general,” said Adriana Tidona, a researcher on migration at Amnesty International’s European office.
Tidona says the new rules are posing serious questions when it comes to the freedom of association, the freedom of expression, discrimination and the right to privacy.
“It is also concerning that the registration is basically entrusted to an authority which is not independent from the government,” she said.
Also known as the ‘special coordinating secretary’, it can approve or revoke registrations at any moment.
Doctors of the World Greece said the secretary’s power is too great, noting it will be able to reject an application even if all the legal requirements are met.
“As it stands, the law seems to have been activated in order to punish and exclude NGOs from public affairs instead of regulating their action by integrating them into a transparent and accountable collaborative framework with the state and citizens,” said Elli Xenou at Doctors of the World Greece.
Such moves appear to align with public statements made by politicians from Greece’s ruling party New Democracy, who have accused some NGOs of smuggling and people trafficking.
More recently, Greece’s migration and asylum minister, Notis Mitarachi blamed NGOs without providing evidence, for mismanaging some €1.3bn EU funds between 2015 and 2019.
Tacit support
The move comes amid heightened tensions over migration following Turkey’s failed bid to send thousands of refugee hopefuls into Greece in March.
Come si constata, a fine maggio il numero degli occupati ammontava a 158.277 milioni, contro il valore di 156.481 milioni registrati a fine aprile. Rispetto a gennaio 2020 gli occupati sono scesi di 6.329 milioni.
* * * * * * *
«Employers added 2.5 million jobs last month»
«The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 13.3% in May, slightly below the April high of 14.7%, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics»
«Really Big Jobs Report. Great going President Trump (kidding but true)!»
«Chris Zaccarelli, the chief investment officer for Independent Advisor Alliance, called the jobs numbers “shocking” and “for the first time this year it was a positive shock.”»
«The leisure and hospitality sector saw an increase of 1.2 million jobs in May after losses of 7.5 million jobs in April»
«Food and drinking places gained 1.4 million jobs last month after losing more than 6 million jobs in March and April combined»
«Employment in construction increased by 464,000 in May, gaining back almost half of the jobs lost in April»
«Meanwhile, employment in retail rose by 368,000 last month but lost more than 2 million jobs in April»
* * * * * * *
«Economists had expected the unemployment rate to be even worse in May, rising to nearly 20%. But the gradual reopening of the economy actually added new jobs rather than eliminating further positions» [Cnn]
Mai credere agli economisti che vivono di denaro pubblico ottenuto dai politici e che siano rimasti poveri: i loro consigli ci fanno diventare prima poveri e poi miseri. Chi non sa guadagnare per sé non arricchisce certo gli altri.
Nessuno si monti la testa per codesto risultato.
Il dato ufficiale sugli occupati è notizia buona e confortante, ma la ripresa sarà evidenziata anche dalla normalizzazione dei consumi interni, delle esportazioni e di un calo consistente delle richieste di sussidi.
Nota.
Se rispetto a gennaio 2020 gli occupati sono scesi di 6.329 milioni, come si fa a parlare di “tens of millions of Americans still out of work“?
Questa constatazione dovrebbe indurre all’uso di molta prudenza nella lettura dei media, troppo spesso molto ‘spigliati’ nel riportare le cose.
The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 13.3% in May, slightly below the April high of 14.7%, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employers added 2.5 million jobs last month as economic activity slowly resumes and coronavirus pandemic restrictions ease.
The numbers represent a much more optimistic view for the economy moving forward. President Donald Trump tweeted after the report was released, writing, “Really Big Jobs Report. Great going President Trump (kidding but true)!”
While the unemployment figures may be lower than expected, economists warn they are still at devastating highs.
“Although today’s report feels like a relief for many, it’s important to remember the labor market still faces an unemployment rate at the highest level since the Great Depression with tens of millions of Americans still out of work,” Glassdoor senior economist Daniel Zhao said in a commentary Friday morning. “While the labor market may be on the path to recovery, there is still a long way to go until the labor market returns to pre-crisis levels and makes up for lost growth.”
Chris Zaccarelli, the chief investment officer for Independent Advisor Alliance, called the jobs numbers “shocking” and “for the first time this year it was a positive shock.”
“At 13.3%, we are still at a higher rate than any that we hit during the Financial Crisis in 2007-2009, but as long as that continues to move lower, it will show that the re-opening of the economy is proceeding smoothly,” he added.
Some of the most notable job gains in May occurred in leisure and hospitality, construction and retail trade as those sectors begin to reopen.
“These improvements in the labor market reflected a limited resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed in March and April due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it,” the government said in its news release Friday.
The leisure and hospitality sector saw an increase of 1.2 million jobs in May after losses of 7.5 million jobs in April. Food and drinking places gained 1.4 million jobs last month after losing more than 6 million jobs in March and April combined.
Employment in construction increased by 464,000 in May, gaining back almost half of the jobs lost in April. Meanwhile, employment in retail rose by 368,000 last month but lost more than 2 million jobs in April.
The accommodation industry, however, lost 148,000 jobs last month and 1.1 million jobs in total since February.
Some economists are still taking a more measured outlook on the economy.
“As the economy reopens a lot of the jobs aren’t going to come back right away. A lot of people are still trying to figure out … how do they operate it safely and in compliance,” Karen Kimbrough, the chief economist at LinkedIn, told ABC News. “And they may not need as many people or they may need different types of people.”
Jasmine Wright, a small business owner from Akron, Ohio, who was able to reopen her clothing boutique last Friday, said sales are still down despite reopening.
“COVID has affected my business with a lot of sale,” Wright told ABC News. “I went from being open every day into just not being able to open at all not being able to engage with my customers.”
In February, prior to the health crisis, the unemployment rate was at a historic low of 3.5%.
«Malta’s new prime minister was recently in war-torn Tripoli to strike deals on migrants, as Libya continues to fall apart»
«The Maltese delegation flew in to Mitiga airport at 9AM on the morning of 28 May, drove in a convoy to the city centre to meet the EU and UN-recognised Libyan prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj, signed a new deal to help stop migrants coming to Europe, and flew out again at 3PM»
«The migrant deal appears to be limited to opening two “coordination” offices, one in Malta and one in Libya»
«It comes as Maltese prime minister Robert Abela wrestles with a series of accusations on how his navy mistreated migrant boats in recent weeks»
«Malta, a micro-state of less than half a million people, already hosts about 50,000 migrants and wants more EU solidarity»
«Abela also discussed the pandemic and arms smuggling on his short trip»
«Some 14 Russian warplanes painted in neutral colours, and hundreds of Russian mercenaries have now joined him [Khalifa Haftar] to help»
«And Moscow printed €1bn in counterfeit Libyan dinars that it was to ship to Haftar, but which was intercepted in Malta»
«But the modern Russian warplanes marked “a substantial further escalation”»
«while most EU and Nato states back al-Sarraj, France has given diplomatic and military assistance to Haftar»
* * * * * * *
Riassumiamo.
Alcuni stati del blocco europeo sono schierati con al-Sarraj, mentre altri, Francia in testa, supportano Haftar.
I russi invece aiutano militarmente Haftar, cui donano miliardi di dinari libici falsificati ad arte.
Malta, stanca di essere lasciata sola, oltre alle azioni militari o paramilitari, adesso tenta anche la via di un accordo.
Si profila un conflitto di lunga durata, con il blocco europeo attivo come uno scoglio.
Malta’s new prime minister was recently in war-torn Tripoli to strike deals on migrants, as Libya continues to fall apart.
The Maltese delegation flew in to Mitiga airport at 9AM on the morning of 28 May, drove in a convoy to the city centre to meet the EU and UN-recognised Libyan prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj, signed a new deal to help stop migrants coming to Europe, and flew out again at 3PM.
The migrant deal appears to be limited to opening two “coordination” offices, one in Malta and one in Libya, with Malta declining to give more details.
It comes as Maltese prime minister Robert Abela wrestles with a series of accusations on how his navy mistreated migrant boats in recent weeks.
Malta, a micro-state of less than half a million people, already hosts about 50,000 migrants and wants more EU solidarity.
But on the the other hand, Libya, which is home to some 800,000 irregular migrants, has been accused of gross violations of human rights in detention centres, with the UN saying it was not safe to send people back.
Abela also discussed the pandemic and arms smuggling on his short trip.
And Tripoli itself appeared peaceful on the day.
“I saw a few buildings marked by shells or bullets, but the city was quiet and we couldn’t hear any sounds of fighting,” a source on the Maltese delegation told EUobserver.
But Abela did see, first hand, what the war was like when he drove past the remains of passenger planes and helicopters in a field adjacent to Mitiga airport, which had been destroyed by shelling not long before his arrival.
Shells recently struck the vicinity of the Italian embassy.
And three days after Abela flew out, fresh salvos fired by the forces of a Russian-backed warlord, Khalifa Haftar, who is trying to overthrow al-Sarraj, killed five civilians in a park.
Russia escalates
The Tripoli fighting has been going on since last April, when Haftar launched his campaign to take the capital.
Some 14 Russian warplanes painted in neutral colours, and hundreds of Russian mercenaries have now joined him to help, the Pentagon also said last week.
And Moscow printed €1bn in counterfeit Libyan dinars that it was to ship to Haftar, but which was intercepted in Malta, the US said on Friday.
“This incident once again highlights the need for Russia to cease its malign and destabilising actions in Libya,” the US said, amid Russian denials.
Refurbished old jets from former Soviet republics supplied to Haftar by his other allies – such as Egypt or the United Arab Emirates – have long been a feature of the civil war.
But the modern Russian warplanes marked “a substantial further escalation”, Sweden’s former foreign minister Carl Bildt said.
The Libya war was complicated further when Turkey sent troops and drones to fight on al-Sarraj’s side this year.
“We will be there [in Libya] no matter what the outcome. We are decisive on that,” Turkish vice-president Fuat Oktay said on Friday.
The war is also complicated because, while most EU and Nato states back al-Sarraj, France has given diplomatic and military assistance to Haftar.
The source in the Maltese delegation declined to comment on that.
But the threat to Europe could be higher than that posed by migrant dinghies if things go badly, the US warned in its recent statements.
“If Russia seizes basing on Libya’s coast, the next logical step is they deploy permanent long-range anti-access area-denial [A2/AD] capabilities,” US general Jeff Harrigian said.
A2AD capabilities refer to Russian anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles that would make the area a no-go zone for Nato.
“If that day comes, it will create very real security concerns on Europe’s southern flank,” Harrigian said.
Le Drian’s tears
“The crisis is deepening. We are facing a ‘Syrianisation’ of Libya,” French foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian also warned last week, referring to the civil war in Syria, where Russia already has an A2AD facility.
Le Drian is said to have been the architect of France’s pro-Haftar policy, despite his remarks.
And whatever effect the war will have on Europe, just as in Syria, it is local people who are likely to suffer most, as foreign powers make their moves.
“Conflict and the Covid-19 pandemic present a significant threat to life in Libya. The health and safety of the country’s entire population are at risk,” the UN said last week.
“Local/community transmission [of coronavirus] is taking place”, the UN warned.
“The risk of further escalation of the outbreak is very high,” with some military attacks targeting medical facilities and water supplies, it said.
«German industry demands subsidies for fossil fuel cars»
«Germany’s carmakers have demanded a sales rebate on new diesel and petrol cars»
«called for sales subsidies on electric cars to be extended to fossil-fuel-powered vehicles»
«carmakers have been calling for the expansion of the subsidies on electric cars, in a bid to shore up their positions during the coronavirus-induced economic crisis.»
«Rebates are currently available for the purchase of purely electric and hybrid cars»
«The automakers have been backed up in their demands by the states of Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg, where the manufacturers BMW, VW and Daimler are headquartered»
«It is unacceptable that France spends €8 billion on automobile promotion and we spend €9 billion on Lufthansa — but nothing for the heart of our economy»
«Leaked agendas have revealed no plans for additional subsidies»
In certi momenti storici è davvero difficile comprendere cosa stiano pensando i tedeschi.
Negli anni passati hanno imposto leggi, normative e regolamenti sulle emissioni dei gas di scarico che hanno prostrato quella che una volta era la loro fiorente industria automobilistica, che ha significativamente ridotto la produzione in madrepatria, spostandola all’estero.
Adesso la hanno ridotta a dover chiedere sussidi per sopravvivere, sempre poi che riesca a sopravvivere in questa Germania.
Germany’s carmakers have demanded a sales rebate on new diesel and petrol cars. The powerful lobby has been backed up in its calls by state premiers and industry groups.
Germany’s top industry body on Sunday called for sales subsidies on electric cars to be extended to fossil-fuel-powered vehicles.
Dieter Kempf, president of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), made the demand in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
“In view of the crisis, it makes sense to introduce a further purchase bonus for at least 12 months in addition to the environmental premium, provided that this premium is part of a cross-sectoral approach,” Kempf said.
Kempf said the promotion is based on investment and climate protection. “It therefore makes perfect sense to also promote vehicles with modern and efficient combustion engines in this context, if this does not dilute existing incentives for electric mobility,” he said.
Rebates are currently available for the purchase of purely electric and hybrid cars.
The automakers have been backed up in their demands by the states of Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg, where the manufacturers BMW, VW and Daimler are headquartered.
Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder told Welt: “It is unacceptable that France spends €8 billion on automobile promotion and we spend €9 billion on Lufthansa — but nothing for the heart of our economy. That would be an industrial policy mistake.”
“It’ll help protect the climate and the economy. We are taking old cars off the market and replacing them with the latest generation of clean vehicles,” he added.
Germany’s carmakers were responsible for the Dieselgate scandal, in which they deliberately colluded to conceal the illegal emissions of new diesel cars.
Economic stimulus meeting
On Tuesday, the leaders of the ruling coalition will discuss an economic stimulus package which is intended to restore the German economy. According to the Bild newspaper, the package is expected to be worth between €75 and €80 billion.
Leaked agendas have revealed no plans for additional subsidies.
Carsten Linnemann, head of the pro-business wing in Angela Merkel’s CDU and sister party CSU, said that if the call was successful it would be “a prime example of how a lobby asserts itself in Germany.”
Ralph Brinkhaus, parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU, said he also opposed it — but that the pressure from companies, unions and state premiers was substantial.
The German Council of Economic Experts, among others, has spoken out against the new subsidies.
È un documento ponderoso, scritto con stile asettico e molto diplomatico, ma risulta essere tranchant.
Ne stralciamo solo due capoversi.
«In termini di numero di medici, il nostro Paese è in cima alle graduatorie europee: operano in Italia 3,9 i medici per 1000 abitanti contro i 4,1 in Germania, i 3,1 in Francia e i 3,7 in Spagna. In Italia, per questa categoria si conferma (anche grazie al blocco del turn-over) un incremento dell’età media del personale: ha più di 55 anni oltre il 50 per cento degli addetti, la quota più elevata in Europa e superiore di oltre 16 punti alla media Ocse; si tratta in prevalenza di medici specialisti.
Diverso il caso del personale infermieristico dove, all’opposto, nel nostro Paese è molto inferiore alla media europea il numero degli operatori laureati e più limitati sono i margini di un loro utilizzo, nonostante il crescente ruolo che questi possono svolgere in un contesto di popolazione sempre più anziana.
Negli ultimi anni, inoltre, i vincoli posti alle assunzioni in sanità, pur se resi necessari dal forte squilibrio dei conti pubblici del settore, hanno aumentato le difficoltà di trovare uno sbocco stabile a fine specializzazione e un trattamento economico adeguato. Ciò è alla base della fuga dal Paese di un rilevante numero di soggetti: negli ultimi 8 anni, secondo i dati Ocse, sono oltre 9.000 i medici formatisi in Italia che sono andati a lavorare all’estero. Regno Unito, Germania, Svizzera e Francia sono i mercati che più degli altri hanno rappresentato una soluzione alle legittime esigenze di occupazione e adeguata retribuzione quando non soddisfatte dal settore privato nazionale. Una condizione che, pur deponendo a favore della qualità del sistema formativo nazionale, rischia di rendere le misure assunte per l’incremento delle specializzazioni poco efficaci, se non accompagnate da un sistema di incentivi che consenta di contrastare efficacemente le distorsioni evidenziate.»[ppgg. 24 – 25]
* * * * * * *
Ne enucleiamo alcune affermazioni.
«ha più di 55 anni oltre il 50 per cento degli addetti, …. superiore di oltre 16 punti alla media Ocse»
«personale infermieristico …. molto inferiore alla media europea»
«i vincoli posti alle assunzioni in sanità …. hanno aumentato le difficoltà di trovare uno sbocco stabile a fine specializzazione e un trattamento economico adeguato»
«negli ultimi 8 anni, secondo i dati Ocse, sono oltre 9.000 i medici formatisi in Italia che sono andati a lavorare all’estero»
Formare un medico richiede dai dieci ai quindi anni di studi. In termini di investimenti ciò significa quasi mezzo milione a carico dello stato ed altrettanti a carico della famiglia, comprendendo anche il mancato lavoro.
I pochi concorsi ospedalieri sono tutto fuorché meritocratici, gli stipendi sono miserabili in confronto allo sforzo fatto e alle responsablità assunte, e, soprattutto, il lavoro dei medici ospedalieri è schiacciato sotto il peso di una avvilente burocrazia.
Del tutto sequenziale che i medici cerchino sbocchi all’estero, Regno Unito, Germania, Svizzera e Francia, ove la figura professionale è rispettata, gli emolumenti sono adeguati e lì la burocrazia è estremamente ridotta.
Si noti infine che, avendo la metà dell’organico più di 55 anni, entro dieci anni la metà degli attuali medici al lavoro sarà andato in pensione. Se non si iniziasse ora ad adeguare il settore, alla fine non ci saranno fisicamente medici da assumere, con tutte le conseguenze del caso.
Una vera e propria “fuga” dall’Italia per mancanza di posti e bassi stipendi. E’ quella dei medici italiani, in cerca di fortuna all’estero. Secondo quanto riportato dalla Corte dei Conti nell’ultimo Rapporto sul coordinamento della Finanza pubblica, in base ai dati Ocse negli ultimi 8 anni, sono oltre 9.000 i medici formatisi in Italia che sono andati a lavorare all’estero. Regno Unito, Germania, Svizzera e Francia sono i mercati che più degli altri hanno rappresentato una soluzione “alle legittime esigenze di occupazione e adeguata retribuzione quando non soddisfatte dal settore privato nazionale”.
Una condizione che, sottolineano i magistrati contabili, “pur deponendo a favore della qualità del sistema formativo nazionale, rischia di rendere le misure assunte per l’incremento delle specializzazioni poco efficaci, se non accompagnate da un sistema di incentivi che consenta di contrastare efficacemente le distorsioni evidenziate”.
La concentrazione delle cure nei grandi ospedali verificatasi negli ultimi anni e il conseguente impoverimento del sistema di assistenza sul territorio, divenuto sempre meno efficace, ha lasciato la popolazione italiana “senza protezioni adeguate” di fronte all’emergenza Covid. E’ quanto scrive ancora la Corte dei Conti in un approfondimento sulla sanità contenuto nell’ultimo Rapporto sul coordinamento della finanza pubblica.
Inizia a delinearsi la strategia di Mr Putin e della Russia per il dominio del Mare Mediterraneo. Dapprima l’intervento militare diretto in Siria, adesso in Libia. Ma il Mediterraneo è solo un elemento di uno scacchiere ben più vasto: l’obiettivo è il dominio dell’Africa.
*
«The US has identified over a dozen Russia warplanes in Libya, marking Moscow’s first direct venture into the North African country»
«Experts say it is part of a larger Russian plan to expand its influence in the region»
«US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced earlier this week that Russia had deployed at least 14 warplanes to Libya in support of private military contractors known as the Wagner Group»
«It was the first time Russian armed forces were identified in the North African country. Although the Wagner Group purportedly enjoys Russian state backing, the Kremlin had initially stopped short of deploying official military assets to Libya, despite Moscow’s support for general-turned-warlord Khalifa Haftar»
«For too long, Russia has denied the full extent of its involvement in the ongoing Libyan conflict»
«neither Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) nor private military contractors could “arm, operate and sustain these fighters without state support — support they are getting from Russia»
«Russia is clearly trying to tip the scales in its favor in Libya …. The UN said Russia’s Wagner group already has up to 1,200 mercenaries in Libya.»
«Haftar’s LNA has sought to oust the UN-backed government Tripoli in favor of a rival Tobruk-based government. He has received support from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and, at one point, even France. …. But Russia remains Haftar’s most committed ally»
«Strengthening the Russian military position in North Africa will undoubtedly provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with a much tighter grip over Europe and possibly even deep-rooted influence and control in the wider MENA region»
«Libya’s energy resources and the presence of several deep-water ports will give Putin the logistical and geo-strategical advantage he is attempting to achieve»
Sarebbe impossibile dominare il Mediterraneo senza poter disporre di porti con acque sufficientemente profonde da permetterne l’uso a navi da guerra. Ma gli unici porti ‘acquisibili’ al momento sono quelli della Libia.
«Russia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport announced in April the first contract to supply assault boats to a country in sub-Saharan Africa»
«Russia is building its path to gain a foothold in Africa and broaden its export map for arms on the continent»
«Currently, it accounts for 49% of total arms exports to Africa, according to the database of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)»
«Until now, Algeria remains the biggest recipient of Russian arms in Africa, followed by Egypt, Sudan and Angola …. In the early 2000s, 16 African countries were recipients of Russian arms. Between 2010 and 2019, the figure went up to 21»
«Starting in 2015, Russia started selling arms to oil-rich Angola — mainly fighter aircraft and combat helicopters»
«That same year, Algeria signed another arms deal to buy Russian weapons for $7.5 billion»
«Russia hosted the first-ever Russia-Africa summit in Sochi in 2019 as a way of further identifying cooperation possibilities across the continent. During the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that “the strengthening of ties with African countries is one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities”»
«This exhibition showed that Russia does not aim to offer disruptive new technologies in arms; instead, it focuses on improving the models that have been demanded the most»
«Russia sees Africa as a key potential partner in the vision for a multipolar world order»
«Less European, less trans-Atlantic and focused more on rising powers and rising regions»
«Despite widespread international condemnation of Mugabe’s regime, Russia stayed on the side of Zimbabwe: together with China, it vetoed the UN’s Security Council resolution for an arms embargo in 2008 and criticized Western sanctions»
«Russia has been scaling up activities in the mining of resources such as coltan, cobalt, gold, and diamonds in several other countries across Africa»
«For example, Algeria alone bought around 200 aircraft items from Russia from 2000 to2019, ranging from transporter helicopters to combat helicopters, bomber and fighter ground aircrafts. Various models of surface-to-air missiles (SAM) that are designed for destroying aircrafts or other missiles have been ordered from Algeria (several orders through 2000-2019), Burkina Faso, Egypt (several orders), Ethiopia, Libya and Morocco. Algeria also ordered tanks (more than 500 items in total), as did Uganda (67 items).»
«Cheap weapons — no questions asked»
«Africa is the continent where Russia can freely push one of the key elements of its exports: weapons. Arms trading accounts for 39% of Russia’s defense industry revenue.»
«Russian arms are good. It is universally recognized. Russian arms are also cheaper. There is no reason why African countries would not want to buy them»
«For example, in 2014, government soldiers in Nigeria were accused of human rights abuses against suspects in the country’s fight against Boko Haram. Afterwards, the US cancelled a shipment of attack helicopters, even though the deal had already been signed. That same year, Nigeria placed an order and received six Mi-35M combat helicopters from Russia»
«from 2009 to 2018, Russia accounted for 31% of Egypt’s imports of major weapons.»
«Russia’s defense industry is secretive; the law does not oblige companies to report on arms exports as such, and usually this information falls under the state’s secrecy laws.»
«China is generally growing as an arms exporter and shows similar patterns as Russia in a way of giving weapons with less political conditions»
* * * * * * *
Fornire armi e sistemi di arma è sicuramente una operazione economica, ma i risvolti politici sono evidenti: i paesi che si dotano di armamenti russi alla fine dipendono dalla Russia.
La chiave del successo è di un semplice banalità.
«Russian arms are good»
«Cheap weapons — no questions asked»
«giving weapons with less political conditions»
Il vizietto di voler imporre la propria Weltanschauung come prerequisito ai commerci sta costando all’occidente il domini mondiale.
The US has identified over a dozen Russia warplanes in Libya, marking Moscow’s first direct venture into the North African country. Experts say it is part of a larger Russian plan to expand its influence in the region.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced earlier this week that Russia had deployed at least 14 warplanes to Libya in support of private military contractors known as the Wagner Group.
It was the first time Russian armed forces were identified in the North African country. Although the Wagner Group purportedly enjoys Russian state backing, the Kremlin had initially stopped short of deploying official military assets to Libya, despite Moscow’s support for general-turned-warlord Khalifa Haftar.
“For too long, Russia has denied the full extent of its involvement in the ongoing Libyan conflict,” said US Army General Stephen Townsend, who leads AFRICOM. “We watched as Russia flew fourth-generation jet fighters to Libya — every step of the way.”
The US general noted that neither Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) nor private military contractors could “arm, operate and sustain these fighters without state support — support they are getting from Russia.
“Russia is clearly trying to tip the scales in its favor in Libya,” Townsend said.
The UN said Russia’s Wagner group already has up to 1,200 mercenaries in Libya.
Russia’s man
Haftar’s LNA has sought to oust the UN-backed government Tripoli in favor of a rival Tobruk-based government. He has received support from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and, at one point, even France.
But Russia remains Haftar’s most committed ally.
Moscow has sought to expand its influence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and supported that mission through military escapades. In Syria, Moscow deployed its armed forces to prop up the Assad regime, a move that has ensured its place as a regional stakeholder.
“Strengthening the Russian military position in North Africa will undoubtedly provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with a much tighter grip over Europe and possibly even deep-rooted influence and control in the wider MENA region,” said Tomas Olivier, a counter-terrorism expert and former senior officer in the Dutch government.
“Libya’s energy resources and the presence of several deep-water ports will give Putin the logistical and geo-strategical advantage he is attempting to achieve,” Olivier added.
Risky business
Although the Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the US allegations, Russian lawmaker Andrei Krasov, a member of the Russian parliament’s Defense Committee, dismissed them as “fake.”
With state-supported paramilitary forces on the ground, the Kremlin maintains the ability to deny direct involvement, yet still has strategic assets in place. That plays into its larger hybrid warfare strategy, which serves to undermine rules and responsibilities in the conflicts it engages with.
But deploying warplanes raises the stakes, making it a highly risky move for Russia, according to Theresa Fallon, director and founder of the Brussels-based Center for Russia Europe Asia Studies.
“Moscow’s supply of aircraft reportedly repainted in Syria for plausible deniability, represents a creeping shift from a proxy war to open support for Haftar,” Fallon said. “If Turkey responds by deploying more aircraft, it is likely that this could turn into another endless, Syria-like conflict.”
Although Russian-Turkish ties have thawed in recent years, the countries back opposing parties in Syria and Libya. Earlier this month, the Turkish government threatened to strike Haftar’s forces if they continued to attack diplomatic missions in Tripoli, where the UN-backed government is based.
“Libya is rich in energy sources, migrants can be leveraged in negotiations with Europe and Russian mercenaries are likely to command a lucrative revenue stream,” Fallon said. “This could turn into one more frozen conflict on which Russia thrives.”
Along with natural resources, arms exports are a key component of Russia’s economy. In the last two decades, Moscow has managed to deepen its connection with Africa and became the biggest arms supplier on the continent.
Russia’s state arms seller Rosoboronexport announced in April the first contract to supply assault boats to a country in sub-Saharan Africa. The recipient’s identity is concealed. What is known: It marks the first export contract of Russian-made final naval products to this region in the last 20 years. While this news might not have caught much international attention, this new deal adds up to a pattern: Russia is building its path to gain a foothold in Africa and broaden its export map for arms on the continent.
Once a major supplier during the Soviet era, Russia’s role in Africa waned after the collapse of the USSR. But by 2000, Russia had made inroads again, and within the last two decades Russia has managed to become the biggest arms exporter to Africa. Currently, it accounts for 49% of total arms exports to Africa, according to the database of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Since 2000, Russia’s arms exports to Africa have grown significantly. The increases were mainly due to growth in Russia’s arms exports to Algeria.
Russia’s eye on Africa
Until now, Algeria remains the biggest recipient of Russian arms in Africa, followed by Egypt, Sudan and Angola. According to Alexandra Kuimova, a researcher with SIPRI’s Arms and Military Expenditure Program, the number of African countries buying Russian arms increased over the last two decades. In the early 2000s, 16 African countries were recipients of Russian arms. Between 2010 and 2019, the figure went up to 21.
Starting in 2015, Russia started selling arms to oil-rich Angola — mainly fighter aircraft and combat helicopters. The Angolan government in Luanda has long maintained strong ties with Moscow, dating back to the USSR. In 1996, Russia forgave 70% of Angola’s $5 billion (€4.56 billion) in debt, which was mainly a result of several export credits the USSR had issued Angola for buying Soviet arms and military equipment. In the new millennium, Russia was a predictable choice for Angola to sign new arms deals — and within the last five years, Angola has become the third-biggest African client for Russian arms after Algeria and Egypt. Luanda’s other suppliers are Bulgaria, Belarus, Italy and China, but their shares are small.
The situation was similar with Algeria, the largest importer of Russian arms on the African continent. Soviet-era connections allowed Russia to secure its monopoly on arms deals, and Moscow completely wrote off Algeria’s $5.7 billion in debt in 2006. That same year, Algeria signed another arms deal to buy Russian weapons for $7.5 billion.
“Officials in these countries intrinsically look at Moscow from the Soviet-era links and Moscow has been able to maintain its influence. In some cases, like Algeria, it is done by debt release; sometimes by claiming that it will build repair facilities and manufacturing or maintenance facilities,” says Paul Stronski, a senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment’s Russia and Eurasia Program.
Russia hosted the first-ever Russia-Africa summit in Sochi in 2019 as a way of further identifying cooperation possibilities across the continent. During the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that “the strengthening of ties with African countries is one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities”.
Arms deals were at the center of attention at the summit. African delegates were invited to exhibitions of Russian weapons: from subsonic jet trainor Yakovlev Yak-130, the Pantsir missile system, and the Tor-M2KM surface-to-air missile systems to smaller arms including a new Kalashnikov AK-200 series assault rifle. This exhibition showed that Russia does not aim to offer disruptive new technologies in arms; instead, it focuses on improving the models that have been demanded the most.
Opening new markets in line with geopolitical vision
Russia’s growing interest in Africa is defined by not only economic, but also political and strategic reasons. Russia sees Africa as a key potential partner in the vision for a multipolar world order.
“Less European, less trans-Atlantic and focused more on rising powers and rising regions,” Stronski said. This is where Russia’s ties with countries like Zimbabwe and Sudan have been established, he stressed.
Zimbabwe has been subject to financial sanctions from the West since the early 2000s. The state was reportedly responsible for violence, tortures and killings of the president’s opponents during the era of former President Robert Mugabe. Despite widespread international condemnation of Mugabe’s regime, Russia stayed on the side of Zimbabwe: together with China, it vetoed the UN’s Security Council resolution for an arms embargo in 2008 and criticized Western sanctions. Russia exports a number of both raw and finished materials to Zimbabwe, ranging from wood, wheat and fertilizers to printed materials, railway cars and electronics. Russia, in turn, imports coffee and tobacco from Zimbabwe.
Russian companies are also involved in diamond and gold mining projects in the country. According to Gugu Dube, a researcher at the Transnational Threats and International Crime program in the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria, Russia has been scaling up activities in the mining of resources such as coltan, cobalt, gold, and diamonds in several other countries across Africa. In Zimbabwe, Russian companies are also involved in a joint venture of the Darwendale project — mining and smelting one of the world’s largest deposits of platinum group metal — for which production is planned in 2021.
These include aircrafts, missiles, tanks, air defense systems and artillery. For example, Algeria alone bought around 200 aircraft items from Russia from 2000 to2019, ranging from transporter helicopters to combat helicopters, bomber and fighter ground aircrafts. Various models of surface-to-air missiles (SAM) that are designed for destroying aircrafts or other missiles have been ordered from Algeria (several orders through 2000-2019), Burkina Faso, Egypt (several orders), Ethiopia, Libya and Morocco. Algeria also ordered tanks (more than 500 items in total), as did Uganda (67 items).
Cheap weapons — no questions asked
In Russia’s publicly available strategy documents, such as its foreign policy concept or defense doctrine, African states are defined as belonging to an unstable continent and posing an international threat in light of terrorist groups’ activities, particularly in the North African region. Such documents highlight Russia’s aims to expand interaction with Africa by developing beneficial trade and economic relations and supporting regional conflict and crisis prevention.
This ongoing instability feeds a continuous market for arms — and for Russia, Africa represents a major market without a limit in the form of economic sanctions that came from the West after the annexation of Crimea. Africa is the continent where Russia can freely push one of the key elements of its exports: weapons. Arms trading accounts for 39% of Russia’s defense industry revenue.
“Russian arms are good. It is universally recognized. Russian arms are also cheaper. There is no reason why African countries would not want to buy them,” says Irina Filatova, a history professor at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics and professor emeritus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, who specializes in Russo-African history and relations.
In comparison to other big players, arms deals with Russia do not demand political or human rights conditions. In some cases, Russia has managed to fill the gap where European or American suppliers stepped out.
For example, in 2014, government soldiers in Nigeria were accused of human rights abuses against suspects in the country’s fight against Boko Haram. Afterwards, the US cancelled a shipment of attack helicopters, even though the deal had already been signed. That same year, Nigeria placed an order and received six Mi-35M combat helicopters from Russia.
Egypt is a similar case. After a military coup in 2013, the US started cutting military aid and arms supplies to the country. This left Russia (together with France, another leading arms exporter) with an open opportunity; the country quickly intensified arms transfers to Egypt. From 2009 to 2018, Russia accounted for 31% of Egypt’s imports of major weapons.
According to Kuimova, arms deals with Russia generally go fast. If a certain country needs weapons right away and Russia has them, Russia will be able to supply. What also plays in its favor is a lack of pressure from local civil society groups to track weapons sales. Russia’s defense industry is secretive; the law does not oblige companies to report on arms exports as such, and usually this information falls under the state’s secrecy laws. A general lack of data and transparency has created a situation where civil society groups for monitoring arms trading simply do not exist.
Competition for Russia? Growing potential of Chinese arms
“China has improved the quality and quantity of what it sells. They also do reverse-engineered Russian weapons. Since 2014, Russia has shared sensitive military technology as a part of its growing ties with China,” Stronski said.
Kuimova adds that today China is able to produce and offer all kinds of arms. “China is generally growing as an arms exporter and shows similar patterns as Russia in a way of giving weapons with less political conditions,” she explained.
Researcher Filatova does not see China as a threat to Russian arms in Africa, however — in her opinion, the main competitors for Russian arms will remain the same: the US and France. She defines China’s interest in Africa as predominantly economic and says that “Russia’s competition in Africa in that regard is already lost” — because economically, Russia is not able to offer what China can. Moscow instead focuses on natural resources exports and locking down arms deals. For arms importers, switching to other suppliers is costly, so the likelihood is high that Russia can ensure new deals with its arms buyers well into the future.
«Sweden’s economy grew in the first quarter as many other countries sank into a deep recession, adding to a debate on how best to tackle the spread of Covid-19»
«Sweden has opted for a softer lockdown, but its approach has resulted in a higher death rate than in many other countries»
«The GDP data published on Friday, which show a 0.1% expansion from the fourth quarter, provide “yet another sign that less strict containment measures eased the initial blow to the economy from the pandemic»
«there’s little chance that “Sweden will escape a recession in 2020»
«Strict lockdowns aren’t sustainable when tackling a virus that may be around for years»
«According to Johns Hopkins University data, Sweden has had 41 deaths per 100,000. That compares with 31 in the U.S. and 10 in neighboring Denmark»
La Svezia ha scelto di mettere in campo un modestissimo lockdown, assoggettandosi ad un maggior numero di decessi da coronavirus pur di mantenere efficiente il sistema produttivo economico. La moria è stata alta, ma confinata principalmente nei gerontocomi e tra i vecchi già portatori di severe patologie, quali l’insufficienza renale oppure tumori maligni.
E dati relativi al pil del primo trimestre corroborerebbero la correttezza di questa visione.
«Sweden’s highly contested response to Covid-19 left much of the economy open. Even so, the country is now headed for its worst recession since World War II.»
«Scandinavia’s biggest economy will shrink 7% this year, Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson said»
«40% of businesses in Sweden’s service sector now fear bankruptcy.»
«But the trade-reliant economy has been unable to withstand the global shock triggered by widespread lockdowns elsewhere»
«About half Sweden’s GDP comes from exports, and some of its best known companies, such as Volvo Cars and Electrolux, have had to cut thousands of jobs as demand dries up»
«unemployment could rise as high as 17%. That’s how high the unemployment rate would be if all the workers in the government’s furlough program were counted as unemployed.»
Gli svedesi hanno considerato come ‘occupati’ tutti coloro che sono nell’equivalente della nostra cassa di integrazione.Un modo di fare molto spigliato.
* * * * * * *
Chi avesse studiato von Mises non si stupirebbe però di questi risultati.
Se è della massima importanza produrre beni richiesti e facilmente esportabili, sarebbe utile ricordare come in carenza di un mercato che possa recepirla e pagarla, la produzione diventa un mero magazzino improduttivo, che alla lunga diventa economicamente insostenibile.
Sweden’s economy grew in the first quarter as many other countries sank into a deep recession, adding to a debate on how best to tackle the spread of Covid-19.
Sweden has opted for a softer lockdown, but its approach has resulted in a higher death rate than in many other countries. What’s more, Sweden’s government recently acknowledged that for all of 2020, the economy is likely to suffer its worst decline since World War II.
The GDP data published on Friday, which show a 0.1% expansion from the fourth quarter, provide “yet another sign that less strict containment measures eased the initial blow to the economy from the pandemic,” Bloomberg economist Johanna Jeansson said.
But, there’s little chance that “Sweden will escape a recession in 2020,” even though “it is set to be smaller than elsewhere.”
As of Thursday, Sweden had registered 4,266 deaths related to Covid-19. Though the virus has at no point overwhelmed the country’s health system, the high mortality rate has forced Swedish authorities to defend their approach to the pandemic.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, Sweden has had 41 deaths per 100,000. That compares with 31 in the U.S. and 10 in neighboring Denmark.
Swedish shops, schools, gyms and restaurants have all remained open throughout the crisis. Instead, the government has encouraged citizens to observe social distancing rules.
The country’s top epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, argues that the Swedish model is designed to cope with a long-term health crisis. Strict lockdowns aren’t sustainable when tackling a virus that may be around for years, he says.
But the policy appears to be costing more lives here and now. It’s also raised concerns in other European Union countries as they start opening borders. Cyprus recently made clear it doesn’t want Swedish residents entering the island. Sweden’s Nordic neighbors have also voiced concerns.
Scacciate dal blocco europeo, le multinazionali, specialmente quelle produttrici di autoveicoli, stanno spostando velocemente i loro baricentri operativi in Cina.
Questo avviene in netta opposizione alle politiche estere dei paesi del blocco occidentale, generando tra mondo politico ed economico una frattura che potrebbe diventare insanabile.
«Volkswagen AG is in final talks to seal its largest investment deals with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) firms, two sources said, as the German automaker accelerates its push into the world’s largest market for environmentally friendlier cars»
«The firm is poised to buy 50% of Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Holding, the parent of EV partner JAC Motors, for at least 3.5 billion yuan ($491 million), the people said on condition of anonymity as the matter was private»
«It is also set to become the biggest shareholder of EV battery maker Guoxuan High-tech Co Ltd, the people said»
* * * * * * *
Scacciata malo modo da leggi e normative inattuabili, nonché dalle sentenze delle corti di giustizia europee, la Volkswagen si accoda alla lunga lista di società multinazionali che cercano nella Cina un posto quieto ove poter produrre in santa pace.
Poi, farle tornare in patria sarà faccenda ben dura.
Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) is in final talks to seal its largest investment deals with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) firms, two sources said, as the German automaker accelerates its push into the world’s largest market for environmentally friendlier cars.
The firm is poised to buy 50% of Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Holding, the parent of EV partner JAC Motors (600418.SS), for at least 3.5 billion yuan ($491 million), the people said on condition of anonymity as the matter was private.
It is also set to become the biggest shareholder of EV battery maker Guoxuan High-tech Co Ltd (002074.SZ), the people said, adding both deals could be announced as early as Friday.
Volkswagen declined to comment on the deals, details of which are reported here for the first time. JAC and Guoxuan declined to comment.
The deals highlight how Volkswagen is keen to retain its status as the largest foreign automaker in China even as government virus-busting measures decimate sales, in the face of encroaching rivals such as Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) which last year became the first foreign automaker to wholly own a car plant.
At the end of last year when 25 million vehicles were sold in China – and just before the coronavirus was first reported in December – the government targeted 25% of 2025 annual vehicle sales to be made up of new energy vehicles.
The deals would make Volkswagen the latest foreign automaker to increase ownership in China since the government started to relax ownership rules in 2018 here with Germany’s BMW AG (BMWG.DE) quick to take control of its main local venture.
Volkswagen target Anhui Jianghuai, based in the eastern city of Hefei, is fully state owned. It counts its core asset as its 25.23% stake in JAC – formally Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp Ltd, which has a market value of $1.84 billion.
The Anhui provincial office of the State-owned Asset Supervision and Administration Commission declined to comment.
After completing the deal, Volkswagen plans to invest fresh capital in its 50:50 venture with JAC and build capacity with its modular MEB platform, an architecture enabling efficient production of various EV models, said one of the people.
JAC shares surged by their maximum 10% on the news on Wednesday, to trade at their highest level since mid-April last year.
Shanghai-listed JAC last week said its parent planned to bring in a strategic investor, which will not cause change in its control.
Volkswagen’s purchase of a stake in Shenzhen-listed Guoxuan, also based in Hefei, would mark it first direct ownership in a Chinese battery maker.
It plans to buy about 27% of Guoxuan mostly via a discounted private share placement as well as from top shareholder Zhuhai Guoxuan Trading Ltd, which holds 18%, and founder Li Zhen, who owns 12%, said one of the people. Son Li Chen also owns 2.5%, showed filings to the stock exchange this month.
Based on Guoxuan’s market capitalisation of $4.3 billion, a 27% stake is worth $1.16 billion.
Zhuhai Guoxuan and Li Zhen could not immediately be reached for comment.
Guoxuan has suspended trading of its stock since May 20 and on Tuesday said Zhuhai Guoxuan and Li Zhen would sell part of their holdings to an unidentified strategic investor. It said it will also issue shares to the investor via a private offering.
The deals have yet to be finalised and investment sizes may change as negotiations continue, the people said.
Volkswagen also has ventures with state-owned China FAW Group Corp Ltd and SAIC Motor Corp Ltd (600104.SS). It aims to sell 1.5 million new energy vehicles a year in China by 2025.
“Volkswagen consistently searches for ways to strengthen and deepen our relationships with local partners,” Volkswagen told Reuters. “In this regard we will explore possible options together with all stakeholders to secure long-term success.”
La crisi del Covid-19 ha sbattuto una buona parte degli italiani nella fascia di povertà e miseria. Banco Alimentare ed un gran numero di organizzazioni religiose stanno distribuendo pasti gratis ad una folla di gente.
Dove siano e cosa facciano lo vediamo. Ma non si vede nessun altro.
Forse che le pubbliche autorità non avrebbero potuto fare altrettanto? Non esistono solo i dipendenti delle pubbliche amministrazioni, illicenziabili, né quanti avendo lavorato in regola adesso possono usufruire delle previdenze.
E tutti gli altri che piangono sui poveri e gli affamati? Eppure anche loro alla fine andranno a votare.
Il coronavirus ha portato in questi mesi di lockdown nuove povertà. Sono infatti stimati un milione di nuovi poveri, che oggi hanno bisogno di aiuto per riuscire a mangiare ogni giorno.
É una coda lenta, a un metro di distanza uno dall’altro, per avere un pasto take away. Ognuno procede in fila con il suo fardello di sogni spezzati, alle prese con le quotidiane difficoltà della vita. Parlano poco fra loro. La pandemia da coronavirus non è solo un’emergenza sanitaria ed economica, ma anche sociale. E non riguarda solo le persone più povere, che già vivevano per strada e restano comunque le più esposte all’infezione.
Un milione di nuovi poveri
Il Covid-19 ha portato in questi mesi di lockdown anche nuove povertà. Persone che, accanto ai senzatetto, sono i nuovi poveri. Un milione di persone in Italia che oggi hanno bisogno di aiuto anche per riuscire a mangiare almeno una volta al giorno. Gente che ha perso anche quei lavoretti occasionali che gli consentivano di vivere con dignità. Sono in coda in tutte le città, nelle stazioni come nella Capitale in piazza San Pietro o nelle periferie. Uno dietro l’altro. In fila per poter mangiare. Perché la fame fa più paura del coronavirus.
La mensa della carità di Valmelaina
Nella Capitale, a Monte Sacro, in cima alla salita di via del Gran Paradiso, nei locali della parrocchia del Santissimo Redentore, c’è una mensa storica della carità, gestita dai volontari della chiesa di Valmelaina con la Società di San Vincenzo de Paoli. Una salita che è anche un po’ il simbolo delle difficoltà di chi si mette in coda per avere un pasto da portare via. La pandemia ha costretto la mensa – nata nel 1990 – a non servire più i pasti al tavolo, ma a dare un sacchetto con un primo piatto caldo, un contorno, panini imbottiti, frutta, acqua e un dolce. E pane a volontà. In cucina sorridono le volontarie infaticabili Maria Paoletti, Giuliana Micheli, Tiziana Marianetti e la mitica Clementina Muritano, che si alternano ai fornelli. Nella sala dove prima si servivano i pasti oggi un gruppo di volontari prepara e insacchetta i panini, versa nelle vaschette la pasta fumante da asporto, prepara sul carrello tutto il cibo da consegnare in due orari diversi della mattinata. Vaschette che vengono chiuse velocemente per cercare di consegnare la pasta calda.
In coda un piccolo esercito di badanti e colf
Fra i nuovi poveri che fanno la fila davanti alle mense di ogni città ci sono persone che hanno perso il lavoro, che hanno dovuto chiudere l’attività. Un piccolo esercito di badanti e colf. Tanti stranieri, moltissime filippine e sudamericane. Colpito, in particolare, chi viveva di lavori saltuari, chi non aveva un contratto in regola. Ora sono in fila, con dignità, ma anche con grande imbarazzo, nelle mense che prima erano appannaggio dei clochard. E che oggi sono fondamentali per alcune famiglie per riuscire a mettere un piatto in tavola. Per dare da mangiare ai propri figli.
Ora il pasto è take away
«Per motivi di sicurezza igienica, per mantenere il distanziamento – spiega padre Franco Mazzone – abbiamo dovuto servire il pranzo all’esterno. I volontari preparano panini, pasta da asporto in quella che era la sala da pranzo e poi consegnano un sacchetto con un pasto completo e una bottiglietta d’acqua». Ai consueti ospiti senzatetto, spiega ancora padre Franco, «si sono aggiunte persone che hanno perso il lavoro. Colf, badanti e parrucchiere». In questa mensa, che serve fra 130 e 150 pasti al giorno, con la pandemia è venuto meno, prosegue padre Franco, «quel conforto che era possibile fornire nel corso del servizio al tavolo. Ora la relazione è più automatica, perché per soddisfare tutte le richieste, assicurare il distanziamento e dare il pranzo senza far attendere troppo, bisogna essere più rapidi, liberare lo spazio per lasciare il posto ad altri. E il tempo per il dialogo che c’era servendo il pasto ai tavoli, si è ristretto».
Senzatetto disorientati dal lockdown
«Con il lockdown soprattutto chi viveva per strada, gli ultimi, sono rimasti disorientati», spiega Roberto Fattorini, volontario della San Vincenzo. «Improvvisamente hanno visto la città chiudersi, tutte le porte sbarrate. Come sbarrate erano tutte quelle occasioni di ricevere un aiuto, alle uscite dei bar o delle chiese». E i senzatetto sono stati informati dai volontari sul distanziamento indispensabile, sull’importanza di lavarsi le mani e di non bere dalla stessa bottiglia. «Oggi c’è gente che non ha da mangiare. Ti piange il cuore a vederli in fila. Vengono molte più famiglie con bambini a chiedere un pasto – spiega Francesco Isernia, volontario della parrocchia del Santissimo Redentore – e cerchiamo anche di indirizzarli verso la realtà più vicina alla loro casa. Perché per ora c’è chi attraversa la città per venire qui». «Vengono la mattina padri di famiglia – sottolinea Romana Villetti, volontaria della San Vincenzo – che chiedono pacchi e cibo per i bambini piccoli. C’è stata una evoluzione, o una involuzione, di quelli che sono i bisogni dei nostri ospiti».
La mensa aiuta a superare il problema del pasto familiare
Per molti è difficile assicurare un pasto alla famiglia. «Per noi stranieri – spiega Anna, una signora romena dallo sguardo triste, che ha perso il suo lavoro da badante e ha appena ritirato il suo sacchetto – è un momento molto difficile. Questo servizio di mensa ci dà una mano a superare questa complessa situazione almeno sul fronte della necessità di cibo». Una giovane timidissima imbocca la sua bambina sul muretto di via del Gran Paradiso. Un piatto di pasta con le zucchine. «Ho perso il lavoro da colf – spiega – appena è iniziata l’emergenza. Le persone dalle quali lavoravo mi hanno detto che non c’era più lavoro per me. Prendendo i mezzi pubblici per andare al lavoro ero un pericolo per loro».
Dal Banco alimentare alle eccedenze, come arriva il cibo
La dispensa della mensa è fornitissima. «Il cibo arriva attraverso vari canali. Il Banco alimentare – spiega Pino Caporale, considerato un po’ l’uomo dei miracoli alla mensa – provvede ai prodotti base, dalla pasta allo scatolame. Poi tramite l’associazione Lodovico Pavoni di padre Claudio Santoro riusciamo ad avere tonnellate di frutta e verdura. Lì arrivano tir carichi di prodotti in eccedenza dalla Comunità europea, dalle regioni, per la distribuzione ai poveri. Tutti prodotti che dovrebbe andare al macero, che noi riusciamo a sfruttare nel miglior modo possibile. E poi c’è sempre la provvidenza: gente che arriva e ci lascia della cibo, persone che vengono a chiederci di cosa abbiamo bisogno». Se manca qualcosa ci si attacca al telefono e si trova come risolvere la carenza di cibo.
Luigi, il senzatetto che sogna una zuppa calda
In periferia come nel centro storico la Capitale è piena di persone che hanno bisogno di aiuto. Come Luigi, un senzatetto di origine pugliese, che da anni vive a Roma. Una lunga barba bianca dalla quale emergono occhi buoni, dai quali traspare il suo vivere randagio. Abbandonato da tutti. A chi gli si avvicina, a un passo da San Pietro, chiede una zuppa calda e un letto. «Vorrei tanto dormire in una casa, mangiare una minestra calda seduto a tavola, avere qualcuno che mi ascolta». E ogni giorno macina chilometri nella città eterna, sognando un tetto che non sia sotto le stelle o di cartone.
La Supermedia YouTrend/Agi è una media ponderata dei sondaggi nazionali sulle intenzioni di voto, realizzati dal 14 al 27 maggio dagli istituti EMG, Euromedia, Ixè, Piepoli, SWG e Tecnè. La ponderazione è stata effettuata il giorno 28 maggio sulla base della consistenza campionaria, della data di realizzazione e del metodo di raccolta dei dati.
Da un punto di vista statistico sembrerebbe essere la migliore approssimazione oggi possibile della propensione a voto degli italiani.
I dati della supermedia a cura di YouTrend e Agi: PD al 20,6 (-0,4), M5S al 15,9 (-0,1), Italia Viva 3,0 (-0,2). Tra le opposizioni, Forza Italia al 7,1 (+0,4), Lega al 26,3 (-0,3). Cresce ancora Azione: 2,3 (+0,3).
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AGI – La politica italiana assomiglia sempre più a una “corsa a 4”, uno strano tetra-polarismo in cui i consensi delle prime quattro forze politiche – due di governo e due di opposizione – tendono a convergere, mantenendo una loro identità ben distinta e un approccio competitivo nonostante le alleanze che li legano (più o meno formalmente).
È questo il quadro disegnato, questa settimana, dalla nostra Supermedia dei sondaggi sulle intenzioni di voto. La Lega è il primo partito, ma perde ancora un po’ di terreno attestandosi al 26,3% (-0,3% in due settimane), mentre il Partito democratico rimane in seconda posizione distanziato di oltre 5 punti, al 20,6%.
Terzo è il Movimento 5 Stelle (15,9%) a cui si riavvicina, anche questa settimana, Fratelli d’Italia, che fa nuovamente segnare il suo nuovo record di sempre con il 14,5% (+0,3%). La distanza tra FDI e la Lega, che a inizio aprile era di oltre 16 punti, si è oggi ridotta a meno di 12.
Se i rapporti tra PD e M5S da un lato e il centrodestra dall’altro sono comprensibilmente ostili (come è lecito aspettarsi in una dialettica tra maggioranza e opposizione), anche all’interno dei due fronti le tensioni tra questi 4 principali protagonisti non mancano: più esplicite quelle tra democratici e pentastellati, alle prese con una difficile convivenza al governo, più latenti quelle tra Matteo Salvini e Giorgia Meloni, che rischiano di sfociare ben presto in una competizione aperta per la leadership del centrodestra. Tutti gli altri partiti sembrano per il momento solo spettatori di questa competizione tra le forze politiche maggiori, a cominciare da Forza Italia, che pure fa segnare un rimbalzo positivo non indifferente (+0,4%) risalendo sopra il 7%.
A livello aggregato, c’è da rilevare come stia tornando ad allargarsi la forbice tra l’opposizione di centrodestra (Lega-FDI-Forza Italia-Cambiamo) e la maggioranza giallo-rossa (PD-M5S-Italia Viva-LeU) che in precedenza si era un po’ ristretta nel corso dell’emergenza coronavirus: il distacco era inferiore ai 5 punti percentuali all’inizio di questo mese, mentre oggi è pari a 6,8 punti.
Secondo una simulazione del nostro Giovanni Forti, basata sulla Supermedia della scorsa settimana, proiettando a livello comunale i dati nazionali questo vantaggio del centrodestra emergerebbe in maniera molto netta: le forze che sostengono l’attuale governo risulterebbero infatti maggioritarie solo in 1.852 comuni su 7.915, poco meno di 1 su 4, accusando un ritardo particolarmente intenso nel Nord del Paese (dove conquisterebbero la maggioranza in soli 306 comuni contro gli oltre 4.000 del centrodestra).
Recovery Plan
La notizia di questi giorni però, ben più che dagli equilibri elettorali delle forze politiche italiane, è costituita dalla proposta di Recovery Plan avanzata dalla Commissione europea di Ursula von der Leyen. Un piano, chiamato ambiziosamente “Next Generation EU” che prevede l’utilizzo di ben 750 miliardi per superare la crisi economica dovuta alla pandemia, di cui oltre 170 miliardi a beneficio dell’Italia, che sarebbe nel complesso il paese destinatario della maggior quantità di aiuti.
Si tratta ancora, per il momento, solo di una proposta, che dovrà essere accettata all’unanimità da tutti e 27 gli Stati membri prima di divenire operativa, e per questo probabilmente subirà modifiche in senso restrittivo – ammesso che venga infine approvata. Tuttavia, è certamente un (ulteriore) segnale di grande impegno da parte delle istituzioni europee, destinato probabilmente a incidere sul modo in cui gli italiani vedono l’Europa.
Una visione non propriamente felice, come confermano i risultati un sondaggio appena svolto dall’istituto Euromedia, secondo cui nel nostro Paese prevalgono nettamente i giudizi critici verso l’Europa e le sue istituzioni: nel complesso, solamente il 26,4% degli italiani (poco più di 1 su 4) si dichiara “europeista convinto” oppure sostenitore della UE, sia pur critico di alcuni suoi aspetti; molto più numerosi sono coloro che si definiscono “euroscettici” o che si sentono “arrabbiati, delusi e traditi” da ciò che hanno visto negli ultimi anni, che nel complesso ammontano a quasi la metà degli intervistati.
A questi ultimi, nel novero degli “anti-Europa”, si devono poi aggiungere quanti dichiarano addirittura di volere che l’Italia esca dall’Unione: si tratta del 17%, una percentuale certo non irrilevante, ma comunque decisamente minoritaria, e che sembra suggerire che l’approccio critico verso l’Europa può ancora pagare, ma a patto di non mettere in discussione l’appartenenza dell’Italia all’UE.
Questa interpretazione è confermata dalle risposte ad un’altra domanda, proveniente da quello stesso sondaggio di Euromedia, in cui è stato chiesto agli italiani di quale “fronte” si sentano maggiormente di appartenere a livello europeo: quello dei sovranisti o quello degli europeisti? Qui, nonostante il sondaggio sia stato effettuato prima dell’annuncio della proposta della Commissione sul Recovery Fund, addirittura prevalgono gli italiani che si riconoscono nel “fronte” degli europeisti, anche se non di molto: 37,1% contro il 32,8% di chi invece parteggia per il “fronte” dei sovranisti.
Molto interessanti, in questo caso, sono le risposte disaggregate per intenzione di voto: solo tra gli elettori del Partito Democratico la visione europeista prevale nettamente, sfiorando l’80%; in tutti gli altri elettorati tale quota è minoritaria, sia pure non irrilevante (38% tra gli elettori M5S, 30% tra quelli di Forza Italia); viceversa, tra gli elettori di Lega e FDI la quota di sovranisti si aggira intorno ai due terzi (65-67%).
Da segnalare come 3 italiani su 10 dichiarano di non schierarsi con nessuno dei due “fronti”, una quota piuttosto presente in tutti gli elettorati, in particolare quello del M5S (dove sfiora il 40%) e in nel “non-elettorato” di indecisi e astenuti, dove è quasi il 50% a non prendere posizione.
Infine, uno sguardo a un tema che ha suscitato diverse polemiche sul piano interno: la proposta, avanzata dal ministro Francesco Boccia, di istituire un bando per circa 60 mila “assistenti civici” con il compito di far rispettare le norme sul distanziamento sociale e sull’utilizzo di mascherine in questa fase di grandi riaperture. A giudicare dal sondaggio settimanale realizzato dall’istituto EMG, gli italiani non sembrano apprezzare questa proposta: ben il 51% ritiene “inutili” gli assistenti civici, contro un 33% che invece ne approva l’istituzione.
