east 5

The setback of the referenda on the draft of the European Constitution in France and Holland was not unexpected and can thus set off a beneficial rethinking. Mario Monti and Sergio Romano had discussed it in previous issues of the review and Giovanni Moro is writing about it now.

The former addressed the problem from the citizens’ point of view in the editorial, the latter focused on the status of the finances of the Union. On his part, in a long interview on various themes, among which Europe, the laic Jew Moni Ovadia underlines that too little has been done to favour a European culture. Intending for culture cinema, theatre, visual arts… Ovadia, a borderless artist, used to dialogue with other ethnic groups and cultures, suggests precise proposals about this matter. In any case, the fact that Europe is a reality that is contradictory but irreversible was demonstrated again by an incident that struck the attention of the mass media throughout the world in recent weeks: the acquisition of the Hypovereinsbank, the second largest bank in Germany, by UniCredito Italiano. This transaction is significant both because it is the first major cross border European merger and because it involves Old European banks that are very active in Central and Eastern Europe. Once again, the markets are breaking down the barriers and showing politics which road to follow. No obstacle is insurmountable if one has the courage to take risks.

Some articles deal with the problem of delocalization and internationalization by means of an unusual research by the Nord Est Foundation, commented by Aldo Bonomi and Daniele Marini with two successful entrepreneurs, Zobele and Garulli, and a group of industrialists operating in Romania. The other major topic addresses in this issue of east is that of poverty.A complex topic that involves a variety of aspects: such as the human, political, economic and institutional. The review seeks to shed light on it with articles by Renato Ruggiero, Boris Banchieri, Jeffrey Sachs, Josè Luis Rhi-Sausi, Donato Speroni, Giulio Marcon and Gaetano Ferrieri.

Special attention is devoted to the powder keg of the Urals, with contributions from Piero Sinatti and Giovanni Bensi.