ROME: Emerging from his first cabinet meeting as Italy's new prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday presented a series of forceful measures - from new restrictions on immigrants to a military-style strategy to tackle a longstanding garbage crisis in Naples - that presaged a direct, no-nonsense style of leadership uncommon in Italian politics. "The state has to return to being the state," Berlusconi said at a news conference in the port city of Naples, where he held his first meeting in order to underline his commitment to solving the garbage crisis. It was an oblique reference, perhaps, to the center-left government of his predecessor, Romano Prodi, whose fractious coalition failed to pass effective policies either to clean up the estimated 50,000 tons of trash littering the streets of the city, or to assuage Italians' growing concerns about illegal immigration in the county. Berlusconi, a conservative, has a strong majority in Parliament. To increase consumer spending and spur industrial growth in a lackluster economic landscape, the cabinet also announced plans Wednesday to eliminate a residential property tax and reduce taxes on overtime pay and incentives for productivity. Berlusconi said it was time to put a country with zero growth "back on the path of development."
ROME: Emerging from his first cabinet meeting as Italy's new prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday presented a series of forceful measures - from new restrictions on immigrants to a military-style strategy to tackle a longstanding garbage crisis in Naples - that presaged a direct, no-nonsense style of leadership uncommon in Italian politics.
"The state has to return to being the state," Berlusconi said at a news conference in the port city of Naples, where he held his first meeting in order to underline his commitment to solving the garbage crisis.
It was an oblique reference, perhaps, to the center-left government of his predecessor, Romano Prodi, whose fractious coalition failed to pass effective policies either to clean up the estimated 50,000 tons of trash littering the streets of the city, or to assuage Italians' growing concerns about illegal immigration in the county. Berlusconi, a conservative, has a strong majority in Parliament.
To increase consumer spending and spur industrial growth in a lackluster economic landscape, the cabinet also announced plans Wednesday to eliminate a residential property tax and reduce taxes on overtime pay and incentives for productivity. Berlusconi said it was time to put a country with zero growth "back on the path of development."
The Naples rubbish crisis will be treated as a natural disaster, Italy's prime minister has said, unveiling a series of emergency measures. Silvio Berlusconi said landfill sites will be classified as of strategic national interest, guarded by soldiers. Angry residents have taken to burning the piles of rotting waste, which have littered the streets for months. After a cabinet meeting held in Naples the government also announced tough new measures against illegal immigrants. The measures, which have to be approved by parliament - where Mr Berlusconi has a solid majority in both houses - would make it a jailable offence to be an illegal immigrant.
The Naples rubbish crisis will be treated as a natural disaster, Italy's prime minister has said, unveiling a series of emergency measures.
Silvio Berlusconi said landfill sites will be classified as of strategic national interest, guarded by soldiers.
Angry residents have taken to burning the piles of rotting waste, which have littered the streets for months.
After a cabinet meeting held in Naples the government also announced tough new measures against illegal immigrants.
The measures, which have to be approved by parliament - where Mr Berlusconi has a solid majority in both houses - would make it a jailable offence to be an illegal immigrant.
Our local landfill will be full in two years.
Something to look forward to...
