Brussels, 06/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - The ALDE and Greens/EFA Groups at the EP welcome the success of the centre-left coalition during regional elections on 3 and 4 April in Italy (the Union coalition won in eleven regions out of thirteen, while the government parties were only able to keep Lombardy and Venetia).
“I am very happy that the Italian parties of the ALDE family have contributed to this overwhelming success of the centre-left coalition led by Romano Prodi”, Graham Watson, President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, states in a press release. “The clear message seems that Mr Berlusconi's time is now really up and radical political change is approaching”, the English Liberal said, adding, with an allusion to the concern expressed by Commissioner Almunia on Tuesday regarding the state of Italian public finance: “The bell rang twice over the weekend for Mr Berlusconi and his centre-right government. (…) The European Commission is right to monitor Italian Government finances with great attention” (see EUROPE 8920).
The co-president of the Greens/EFA Group, Monica Frassoni, stresses that the Greens, which are part of the Union coalition, “have consolidated an upward trend, from 2.5 to 2.8%”. Noting that the opposition has also been successful in regions “where it was very difficult for the left to impose its views”, she considers that this demonstrates the coalition cohesion is a “winning approach”. Ms Frassoni, who also notes that the powers of regions lost by the right mainly affect European policies such as the environment and Structural Funds, and she anticipates that this “will allow us to conduct an innovative policy with European institutions”.