Section2.Italy

** 1.History/Background of E.U. Country **

The Palio di Siena, held in Siena's Campo in July and again in Agust, it is an historic horse race event that takes the 17 Contrade of Siena a whole year to prepare for. The horses that tear around the Piazza del Campo at a fast speed, with or without men on board, they wear the colors and designs of the contrade: Tortoise, Wave, She-Wolf, Goose, Shell, Porcupine, Dragon, Owl, Snail, Panther, Eagle, Caterpillar, Unicorn, Ram, Forest and Tower. The culminating moment of the Palio, the actual horse race, is very brief: a minute and a half, or ten seconds. The Renaissance took place between 1350 and 1550 it is the French word for rebirth. It thrived in cities such as Florence, Rome, and Venice because they had great wealth through trade. An important element of it was humanism, a way of thinking that gave importance to the individual and society. Poets, sculpters, and painters such as michelangelo and Da Vinci created stunning master pieces. Rome is so old it is known as the "eternal city". Historians believe it was founded in 625 B.C. Early Rome was governed by kings, but after only seven of them had ruled, they then had a council known as the "senate" or :the Roman Republic". The Roman Republic was a very successful government. It lasted from 510 B.C. until 23 B.C.- almost 500 years. In comparison the United States of America only exists since 1776- less than 250 years. Rome today is a modern day city built around an ancient one. Many historical ruins still stand and are open to tourists. Much of our language and government are based on those of ancient Rome. Imagine, at dawn on August 25 79 A.D. a violent explosion of toxic gases and burning cinders caused time to stop at Pompeii. The ash and cinders covered and preserved the scene exactly as it was at that moment. Excavations were begun in 1861. Guiseppe Fiorelli designed the technique of making plaster casts of the victims of the eruption that you will see around the ruins if you go. The frescoes are still fresh and spectacular. Visiting Pompeii allows one to take a glimpse into the past. || The European Union formed after the second World War to prevent another war like that. The six founding nations signed a treaty so that they could all share their natural resources (like coal) and have one common management to run heavy industry (like steel) so that no one country could make weapons to fight aginst the other. In 1957 these same six countries expanded cooperation beyond steel and coal to other economic centers. They signed the treaty of Rome creating the "common market". The idea is for people, goods, and services to move easily across their borders. 1970 was when the EU first planned for single currency. The E.U. members decided to let their currencies to have ups and downs against each other only within narrow limits. This was the first step towards the creation of the Euro, 30 years later. ||  ||
 * [[image:carnival_of_venice.jpg width="150" height="150" caption="Italy's Carnival Celebration"]]. || Italy has many Carnivale celebrations, but Venice, Viareggo, and Cento had the biggest and most elaborate Carnivale festivals. Venice's Carnivale season starts about two weeks before the date of Carnivale. Events and entertainment are held nightly throughout Venice. During Carnivale season people in costumes wander about the city. Carnivale is also known as Mardi Gras. This holiday is celebrated around the world 40 days before Easter.
 * 2. Year of Admission to E.U. History and General Information about the E.U.**
 * The European Union is made up of 27 member states. Italy was one of the founding members of the E.U. which began in 1951. The other founding members involved: Belgium, Germany, France, Luxemborg, and the Netherlands. The United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark joined in 1973. Greece joined in 1981, and Portugal and Spain in 1986. Many other countries have since joined.

The E.U. was instrumental in developing 2 United Nations climate treaties. These required that E.U. members to reduce their emissions to 8% below 1990 levels. They have also started to transform Europe into an energy efficient, low carbon economy. Italy fears if emission restrictions are too tight it will force energy- intensive sectors to close down factories and move abroad. This could lead to job losses and rising co2 emissions outside Europe. These industrial sectors include paper, glass, brick, and steel industries. Italy wants the U.S. and China to agree to reduce their green house gas emissions. As of now, China and U.S. have no commitment to reduce their emissions. media type="file" key="Aleana 1.wav" width="300" height="50" Click on the link to hear our view! ||
 * 3. How does the E.U. and your country feel about global temperatures/climate change? (//environmental issue)// **
 * [[image:Tyrol_Castel.jpg width="260" height="193" caption="Click the picture to see an amazing picture of Genova Waterfalls" link="http://www.360cities.net/image/val-di-genova-waterfalls-italy-cascate"]] || The E.U. is working with the world to control climate change and is taking action within it's own countries to reduce green house gases. They believe most of the warming over the past 50 years is likely due to CO2 and other green house gases from human activities. They fear that this level of warming could lead to catastophic changes.

Currently Italy has 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, mostly in the western province of Herat. Soon Italy intends to increase that number to 2,800 answering the call from President Obama to increase support for the fight against the Taliban. The Italian government hopes to help find a regional solution to the Afghan conflict. They hope to get the major states of the region together for a conference in hopes of ending the war. These states include: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey. The European Union supports the war in Afghanistan and has invested more than 1.4 billion Euros into Afghanistan. They support humanitarian aid and rebuilding of the country. Many programs have been developed to help the Afghan people. media type="file" key="alean 2.wav" width="300" height="50" Click on the link to hear our view! ||
 * 4. How does the E.U. and your country feel about supporting the war in Afghanistan? //(political issue)// **
 * || Italy was a founding member of the European Union (E.U.). Italy is also a member of the United Nations (U.N.) since 1955, and is a strong supporter of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Italy firmly supports the UN and it's international security activities, including support for NATO and E.U. operations in Afghanistan. Italy even runs a police training center in western Afghanistan.

Italy's major industries are tourism, machinery, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food processing, motor vehicles, electrical goods, furniture, clothing and footwear. Since the end of World War II, Italy has changed from an agricultural - based economy to an industrial state that belongs to the Group of Eight industrialized nations (G8). Italy has few natural resources. Italy imports most of its raw materials for manufacturing. Its economic strength is in the processing and manufacturing of goods, like precision machinery, electronics, and fashion wear. Italy's closest trade ties are with other E.U. countries. While Italy has enjoyed strong econoies in the past, most recently they are amongst the weaker economies of the E.U.. The European Press refers to the weaker countries as PIIGS ( Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, and Spain). Italy is under great pressure to increase its productivity and strengthen its economy.  media type="file" key="aleana 3.wav" Click on the link to hear our view! ||
 * 5. What is the economic background of your country and how does your country feel about supporting the economies of weaker countries in the E.U? //(economic issue)// **
 * || The economic background of Italy is strong. Employment has risen by more than 5% in the past decade. Italy is the 7th largest economy in the world and the 4th largest in Europe according to the International Monetary Fund.