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Niall

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Superb talk from Peter Hitchens on Germany's role in Europe in the context of geopolitics:

'The EU is the Continuation of Germany By Other Means'

[Note: Only the first 30 mins is his actual talk. The remainder is a question-and-answer session, which goes into greater detail on some of the points Hitchens made in the talk]


https://youtu.be/3CNeDtZmpjU

It's not about Germany per se, but its recurring central role in European affairs over the last 150 years or so. Hitchens knows his history and has great insights into how the elites in each relevant country (mainly the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia) have traditionally seen the balance-of-power in Europe.

I didn't agree with it 100% of course, but found it to largely synch with, and enrich, our findings. Namely that an underlying structural (or natural) tendency towards integration of Europe around Germany is a recurring phenomenon which the Anglo-Americans have sought to control or 'manage'.
 
'When alcohol occupying your brain'.

EU’s Juncker says ‘stupid nationalists’ are ‘in love with their country’ & hate foreigners
23 May, 2019

Ahead of the EU elections, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has blasted “stupid nationalists,” who dare to “love their own counties” and dislike migrants.

Juncker took to CNN on Wednesday to share his belief the nationalist politicians pose a distinct threat to European unity with their stance on migration.

“These populist, nationalists, stupid nationalists, they are in love with their own countries,” he said, urging the EU to show“solidarity” with migrants instead.
 
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Now, in the grandiose "democratic" fashion the EU is known for, the EU ministers want pretty much uniformly that Ursula von der Leyen will replace European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. If you thought it couldn't get worse after the drunkard Juncker, think again! Sinking ship indeed!


Having been able to observe her deeds here in germany over the years as Minister of Defence closely (and long before that as well), I can tell you that you couldn't possibly pick a worse person for that or any other job, especially when it comes to power over people. Should she become President, there is little doubt that she will make things a lot worse in Europe, pretty much in every aspect, especially also towards russia.

For quite a long time many people here in germany feared that she might become the next Chancellor and were relived that she couldn't make it for one reason or the other. Now instead all of Europe will likely have to deal with this problem walking on two feet soon.
 
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Here is a short german song about her that vent viral a couple of years ago that pretty much sums it up. At that time, if I’m not mistaken, she aspired to become the next chancellor (which might still be possible down the line). Unfortunately it is hard to translate, understand and grasp for non germans:

 
I always wondered why she kind of withdrew from her chancellor-ambitions, because she always struck me as ruthlessly ambitious. But now it makes sense - maybe she shot for the highest EU office all along!

Wikipedia gives a (good) summary of her (bad) political views:

Political views

Childcare and parental leave

Ursula von der Leyen assumed her office as Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in 2005. Amidst much protest, particularly from the conservative wing of her own party, the CDU, she introduced the Child Advancement Act [de] (Kinderförderungsgesetz), which reserved 4.3 billion euros to create childcare structures throughout Germany.[90]

Von der Leyen also introduced the German Elternzeit, a paid parental leave scheme which, following Scandinavian models, reserving two additional months for fathers who go on parental leave as well (Vätermonate in German). This part of the law in particular attracted protest from some German conservatives. Catholic Bishop Walter Mixa accused von der Leyen of turning women into "Birthing Machines", while Bavarian colleagues from von der Leyen's sister party, the CSU, complained that men did not need a "diaper-changing internship".[91] Von der Leyen successfully influenced public opinion of her reforms with a 3-million-euro PR campaign, which was criticized for using public funds for political advocacy and for employing embedded marketing techniques.[92]

Blocking internet child pornography



Demonstration on 17 April 2009 against the planned mandatory blockage of child pornography.

Ursula von der Leyen advocated the initiation of a mandatory blockage of child pornography on the Internet through service providers via a block list maintained by the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany (BKA), thus creating the basic infrastructure for extensive censorship of websites deemed illegal by the BKA.[93]

These actions brought her the nickname "Zensursula", a portmanteau word blending the German word for censorship ("Zensur") and her given name ("Ursula").[94] The combination of a sensitive topic like child pornography and internet censorship is said to have caused a rising interest in the Pirate Party.[95]

In July 2009 she referred to the problems of struggling against paedophile pornography on the internet as the responsible persons often use servers located in Africa or India, where "child pornography is legal".[96][97] This claim was based on a study by the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children in 2006;[98] however, child pornography is in fact illegal in India. Indeed, Indian society has much stricter rules about erotic media than Germany. She later expressed regret for having cited an inaccurate study.[99]

Von der Leyen was in charge of the request to ban and the rating of the Rammstein album Liebe ist für alle da by the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien.[100]

Women board quota

In 2013, von der Leyen unsuccessfully campaigned for a statutory quota for female participation in the supervisory boards of companies in Germany, requiring company boards to be at least 20% female by 2018, rising to 40% by 2023.[101]

Foreign policy



Von der Leyen with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2018

Von der Leyen is a proponent of a more assertive foreign policy.[102][103] One striking example was the decision in September 2014 to send arms to Kurdish and Iraqi security forces, which broke a longstanding taboo on Germany‘s dispatching of weapons to a conflict zone.[43]

On the deteriorating relationship between Europe and Russia during the 2014 Crimean crisis, she argued that "the reliance on a functioning business relationship with Europe is much, much bigger in Russia" and that sanctions should prod the oligarchs and Russian business.[104] She also called for greater NATO backing of the Baltic states amid the Crimean dispute.[105]

Von der Leyen has supported close security cooperation with Saudi Arabia.[106] German opposition parties criticized Germany's defense plan with Saudi Arabia, which has been waging war in Yemen and was condemned for massive human rights violations.[107][108] In 2016, von der Leyen caused controversy after she refused to wear a hijab while visiting Saudi Arabia. She said: "It annoys me when women are to pushed into wearing the abaya."[109]

Von der Leyen has in the past voted in favor of German participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions as well as in United Nations-mandated European Union peacekeeping missions on the African continent, such as in Somalia – both Operation Atalanta and EUTM Somalia – (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015), Darfur/Sudan (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015), South Sudan (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015), Mali (2013, 2014 and 2015), the Central African Republic (2014), and Liberia (2015).

In 2017 von der Leyen noted that “healthy democratic resistance of the younger generation” in Poland must be supported.[110] In some Polish media it was understood that she instigated opposition aimed at overthrow of allegedly anti-democratic and authoritarian PiS government; the statement was branded as scandalous.[111] The Polish Foreign Minister made sarcastic comments about “Prussian tone of the Ode to Joy”.[112] The Polish Minister of Defence summoned the Germany military attache and demanded explanations.[113] The German embassy in Warsaw and spokesman for the German defence ministry in Berlin issued conciliatory statements.[114] The German media mostly ignored the incident; some acknowledged “minor slip of the tongue”[115] on part of von der Leyen yet noted also that German-Polish relations were “severely damaged”.[116]

European integration

In a 2011 interview with Der Spiegel, von der Leyen expressed her preference for "a united states of Europe – run along the lines of the federal states of Switzerland, Germany or the USA" which would capitalize on Europe's size by agreeing on core issues relating to finance, tax and economic politics.[117] Merkel slapped down von der Leyen, then labour minister, that same year for demanding Greece offer collateral for emergency loans to avoid possible default.[1]

With 2014 marking the centenary of the start of World War I, von der Leyen – in her capacity as defence minister – inaugurated a memorial for the Armistice Day in Ablain-Saint-Nazaire alongside French President François Hollande and North Rhine-Westphalia State Premier Hannelore Kraft, as well as British and Belgian officials.[118]

In 2015, von der Leyen argued that a form of EU army should be a long-term goal. She also said that she was convinced about the goal of a combined military force, just as she was convinced that "perhaps not my children, but then my grandchildren will experience a United States of Europe".[119] In March 2015, she and her counterparts from France and Poland, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Tomasz Siemoniak, revived a meeting format intended to promote co-operation between the three countries in crisis zones by holding their first meeting between the Weimar Triangle defence ministers since 2007.[120] Following the 2016 European Union membership referendum in the United Kingdom, she argued that the UK had “paralysed” European efforts to integrate security policy and “consistently blocked everything with the label ‘Europe’ on it.”[121] She has described Brexit as "a burst bubble of hollow promises."[122]

Same-sex marriage

When the Federal Constitutional Court ruled in favour of tax equality to same-sex couples in 2013, von der Leyen came forward in support of equal adoption rights, arguing that "I know of no study that says that children growing up in same-sex partnerships fare any differently than children who grow up in heterosexual marriages or partnerships."[123] In June 2017, von der Leyen voted against her parliamentary group’s majority and in favor of Germany’s introduction of same-sex marriage.[124]
 
I always wondered why she kind of withdrew from her chancellor-ambitions, because she always struck me as ruthlessly ambitious. But now it makes sense - maybe she shot for the highest EU office all along!

Wikipedia gives a (good) summary of her (bad) political views:

I would go into another direction if she went for being a chancellor I'm afraid nobody or not many people would have elected her, since imo it is too obvious that she is a failure. And with that only one option was left to get into a position where people of influence could get her into office.
 
Looks don't matter, and all, but...

I‘m afraid that this is actually a fitting comparison.

ruthlessly ambitious

That describes her in two words actually pretty well...

Here is an English interview with her some years ago in „Woman in the World“ which gives you a short glimpse into her:


Notice what the EU-President gave as the „first and foremost“ reason for why they nominated as they did; gender balance! :umm:


Sinking ship...
 
There were two German CDU-Party Bilderberg guests in 2019 (at Montreux).

One of them, Ursula von der Leyen is now being given the chance to be elected as President of the European Commission, the European Parliament willing...
One of the things that may qualify her to take the job in Bruxelles is that she was actually born there (Ixelles/Elsene suburb) and lived there up to the age of thirteen.

Another thing worth mentioning is that she is a member of the Atlantik-Brücke ("Atlantic Bridge"), a NATO and Atlanticist grouping for grooming German politicians.

The other of the two characters, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is destined to become the next German Federal Chancellor, following Angela Merkel. Apart from being a woman with a left-wing agenda, her main claim to fame is being Prime minister of Germany's smallest federal state Saarland, comprising of 2,600 sq kms (Rhode Island for comparison: 3,144)
 
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There were two German CDU-Party Bilderberg guests in 2019 (at Montreux).

One of them, Ursula von der Leyen

Yes, Ursula is a regular attendee of Bilderberg. Almost every year for many years now.

The other of the two characters, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is destined to become the next German Federal chancelor

Yes, Karrenbauer is hyped for years now here in germany as the „next likely chancellor“ after Merkel.

Kinda interesting.
 
I always wondered why she kind of withdrew from her chancellor-ambitions, because she always struck me as ruthlessly ambitious. But now it makes sense - maybe she shot for the highest EU office all along!

EU Commission nominee seeks parliament support after top jobs wrangle
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who has been nominated as European Commission President, attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

European Union governments' surprise nominee for president of their executive, Germany's Ursula von der Leyen, sought support in the bloc's parliament on Wednesday, hoping to secure the confirmation she will need in two weeks' time.

Germany's Merkel absorbs domestic heat to get her woman to EU helm
FILE PHOTO - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, November 28, 2018.    REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

In the twilight of her career, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has chosen to soak up domestic heat from her coalition partners in order to secure a close ally at the top of the European Union who will outlast her.

Ex-German SPD chief suggests quitting coalition over EU top jobs deal
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who has been nominated as European Commission President, attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

A former leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) has suggested the party could quit Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition over the nomination of Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission chief.

EU Commission appointee von der Leyen to seek parliament approval
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who has been nominated as European Commission President, attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

German Ursula von der Leyen, appointed by European Union leaders as the next head of the bloc's executive, will attend later on Wednesday a session of the European Parliament, the approval of which she needs to take on the job.

Merkel ally von der Leyen being considered for EU Commission head: Welt
FILE PHOTO - German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, February 27, 2019.   REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Germany's Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen is being touted by Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, as a potential successor to Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the European Commission, Die Welt reported on Tuesday.

EU's eastern bloc ignored in top jobs deal
EU member states national flags are seen before a European Union leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw

Eastern European states have ended up empty-handed in the EU top jobs bonanza after they expended all their political capital in successfully blocking Dutch Socialist Frans Timmermans from becoming president of the executive European Commission.

'Green wave' has little impact on EU top jobs' carve-up
German MEP Ska Keller (Greens/EFA Group), candidate for the presidency of the European Parliament,  delivers a speech during a voting session to elect the new president of the European Parliament during the first plenary session of the newly elected European Assembly in Strasbourg, France, July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Despite an unprecedented surge in the recent European Parliament elections, the Greens were overlooked for the legislature's presidency and indeed for any of the bloc's other top jobs.

With French-flavored EU line-up, Macron builds future influence
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron attends a news conference after the European Union leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium, July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo

After struggling to get his way in Brussels for much of the past two years, Emmanuel Macron can claim a rare victory in brokering a deal on Europe's new leadership team, in a sign the French president might wield greater influence in coming years.

EU leaders choose France's Lagarde for ECB after marathon summit
FILE PHOTO: International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde arrives for the Women's Forum Americas, at Claustro de Sor Juana University in Mexico City, Mexico, May 30, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/File Photo

European Union leaders agreed on Tuesday to name France's Christine Lagarde as the new head of the European Central Bank and sealed a deal on filling the EU's other top four jobs after marathon talks that have exposed deep divisions in the bloc.

Lagarde's ECB nomination thrusts IMF into early succession race
The nomination of Christine Lagarde as European Central Bank president on Tuesday has thrust the International Monetary Fund into an early, unanticipated search for a new leader amid a raging trade war that has darkened the outlook for global growth.

Italian socialist Sassoli elected EU Parliament speaker
Italian MEP David-Maria Sassoli (S&D Group), candidate for the presidency of the European Parliament, takes part in a voting session to elect the new president of the European Parliament during the first plenary session of the newly elected European Assembly in Strasbourg, France, July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

The European Parliament elected Italian socialist lawmaker David Sassoli on Wednesday as its speaker for the next 2-1/2 years, completing the round of appointments for the bloc's top jobs after EU elections in May.

Center-right EU lawmaker says he will back socialist assembly head
FILE PHOTO: Manfred Weber, candidate of the European People's Party (EPP) for the next European Commission President gives a statement after first poll results of the European Parliament elections in Berlin, Germany, May 26, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke/File Photo

The center-right leader of EU lawmakers, Germany's Manfred Weber, said on Tuesday his group was ready to back a socialist pick for president of the bloc's assembly.

France's Macron says EU nominations positive for Europe
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a WWII ceremony to mark the 79th anniversary of late French General Charles de Gaulle's resistance call from London of June 18, 1940, at the Mont Valerien memorial, in Suresnes, near Paris, France,  June 18, 2019.  Thibault Camus/Pool via REUTERS

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that the nominations for the European Union's top posts were "positive and consensual" and offered a fresh start for the bloc.

Size matters: France deflates EU enlargement aspirations
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for a European Union leaders summit that aims to select candidates for top EU institution jobs, in Brussels, Belgium June 30, 2019. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

European Union outsider nations courting accession to the club face dimmer prospects after French President Emmanuel Macron refused to countenance further enlargement until the bloc speeds decision-making and restores its credibility.

Belgium's Michel, European Council president-elect, sees 'immense' challenges
Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel attends a news conference after the European Union leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium, July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
Charles Michel, Belgium's prime minister who EU leaders have chosen as the next European Council president, said on Tuesday that Europe is facing "immense" challenges.

A man in a hurry: Belgium's PM Michel named EU Council chief
Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel arrives to take part in a European Union leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium July 2, 2019. Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/Pool via REUTERS

Belgian liberal Charles Michel, who was nominated by EU leaders on Tuesday as the next chair of EU summits, does not believe in hanging around.

PM Conte says Italy will receive competition portfolio in next EU Commission
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte arrives to take part in a European Union leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium July 2, 2019. Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/Pool via REUTERS
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Tuesday Italy would receive the influential competition portfolio in the next European Commission, adding he was confident his nation would also obtain a post on the next ECB board.
 
The nomination of Ursula von der Leyen is being heavily promoted.

Merkel ally chides German Social Democrats over stance on EU Commission chief
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who has been nominated as European Commission President, attends a news conference during a visit at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, July 3, 2019.   REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

Germany's Social Democrats risk harming the coalition government in which they serve and triggering an EU constitutional crisis by opposing the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen to head the European Commission, a top German conservative said on Thursday.

EU's Tusk urges European Parliament to confirm von der Leyen
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who has been nominated as European Commission President, attends a meeting with EU Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, Belgium, July 4, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/Pool

The outgoing chairman of European Union national leaders on Thursday urged the European Parliament to approve Germany's Ursula von der Leyen as the next head of the bloc's executive after some in the assembly criticized her nomination.

Tusk says von der Leyen dedicated to rule of law
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who has been nominated as European Commission President, shakes hands with EU Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, Belgium, July 4, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/Pool

EU leaders' nominee for European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is dedicated to upholding EU rules on judicial independence and press freedoms, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Thursday.

EU's outgoing chief executive welcomes 'true European' von der Leyen
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, who has been nominated as European Commission President, poses with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 4, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

When the European Union's outgoing chief executive welcomed his replacement candidate, Germany's Ursula von der Leyen, on Thursday, his spokesman said they met as "true Europeans who have known each other for years."

EU's Tusk asks European Parliament to approve von der Leyen
European Council President Donald Tusk attends a news conference after the European Union leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium, July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

European Council President Donald Tusk on Thursday asked the European Parliament to approve Germany's Ursula von der Leyen as the next head of the European Commission.
 
I hope the following piece won't take the course of this thread on a side track but the following looks a sign of the fall for EU:

Italy is killing the European Union

July 5th 2019

I must say that for the future of the EU, what Italy is doing now is much scarier than Britain's exit. Italy's actions are not just separatism; they are direct and real subversion, similar to the idea of Estonia's regional self-financing in the USSR. Only worse.

The fact is that Italy is introducing a parallel currency with the euro. It will be used for internal calculations and is called mini BOT - Buoni Ordinari del Tesoro, which means "ordinary treasury bonds" in Italian. Mini - because their face value is still very small - 100 euros.

In fact, the bonds will be issued by the Treasury and will be a step towards Italian financial sovereignty. No sovereignty is compatible with EU membership, and above all financial sovereignty.

The Italian authorities say that if Brussels puts pressure on the country, they will withdraw from the EU and turn the bonds into full-fledged money. And there should be no doubt about it. Moreover, it is not clear now whether they will be mini BOTs with the state's debt receipts or money. They should have free circulation inside Italy and can be a full-fledged means of payment. It is a parallel currency with all its attributes in the form of state support.

In any case, it violates the rules of the EU and hits the euro - this was admitted by Mario Draghi, the head of the EU Central Bank, although the Italian himself, but a globalist and opponent of the current demarche of Italy. However, the group controlling the Italian government headed by Matteo Salvini is very determined.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

An extra spicy thing is that pictured on the miniBOT note is to be Enrico Mattei, former owner of ENI company, who has allegedly tried to put a stop to the oil monopoly of British and American corporations and died, who would think that, in a jet crash (quote from Wikipedia on Enrico Mattei):

On October 27, 1962 on a flight from Catania (Sicily) to the Milan Linate Airport, Mattei's jetplane, a Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris, crashed in the surroundings of the small village of Bascapè in Lombardy. The cause of the accident has been a mystery. There are strong indications that the crash was caused by a bomb hidden in the airplane.[1][9] All three men on board were killed: Mattei, his pilot Irnerio Bertuzzi, and the American Time–Life Journalist William McHale. The inquiries officially declared that it was an accident. The Italian Minister of Defense, Giulio Andreotti, was responsible for the accident investigation.

During his controversial tenure of ENI, Mattei had made many enemies. The U.S. National Security Council described him as an irritation and an obstacle in a classified report from 1958. The French could not forgive him for doing business with the pro-independence movement in Algeria. Responsibility for his death has been attributed to the CIA, to the French extreme-nationalist group, the OAS, and to the Sicilian Mafia.[3]

According to a 2001 TV documentary by Bernhard Pletschinger and Claus Bredenbrock, evidence was immediately destroyed at the crash site. Flight instruments were put into acid. On October 25, 1995, the Italian public service broadcaster RAI reported the exhumation of the human remains of Mattei and Bertuzzi. Metal debris deformed by an explosion was found in the bones. There is speculation that the fuse of an explosive device was triggered by the mechanism of the landing gear. In 1994 the investigations were reopened and in 1997 a metal indicator and a ring were further analyzed by Professor Firrao of Politecnico di Torino and explosion tracks were found.[10] Based on this evidence the episode was reclassified by the judge as homicide, but with perpetrator(s) unknown.

At the end of May this year, Reuters published the Italian treasury's statement that they won't go ahead with the miniBOT thing, yet about a week later ZeroHedge writes Meet The Mini-BOT: Italy Will Break Up The Eurozone:

A showdown is certain.

The timing is unknown, but it is sooner rather than later.

At the moment, France is also in breach of economic rules and there is this "little" thing called Brexit on the ECB and EU's mind.
So the EU will do what it always does, pretend there is no crisis and hope it goes away. But it won't.

Meanwhile, Italy wants to do this and will do this, but it would rather the EU trigger the event.

Italy's budget is not close to meeting EU rules.The EU has threatened Excessive Deficit Procedures against Italy.
The EU will bush this aside debt targets for as long as it can, but the fate is sealed. The EU will either have to abandon its rules or fine Italy.The upcoming fine and a spike in Italian bond yields will be the trigger for Italy to escalate the crisis with Mini-BOTs.

The longer the EU waits, the more time Italy has to prepare for the Mini-BOT launch.

I expect this to trigger within a year, and possibly months.

Italy is set to leave the Eurozone. The Mini-BOT is the transition mechanism. Few see it coming.

Consider the news about Italy taking over its central bank and its gold reserves as reported earlier this year

The Economist in February: A threat to the independence of Italy’s central bank
RT.com in April: Gold belongs to the people, not bankers’: Italian govt moves to seize reserves from central bank

So it is a very interesting development. Splitting of the EU seems inevitable. At the end it could be only France/Germany/BeNeLux against the rest who will happily run to China's and Russia's hands (If the US and Israel will not stop them which they surely want to and would not let that happen without fight).
 
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