"My advice for the holidays 2020: go to Italy, enjoy the Italian lifestyle! But don't ask yourself who will pay the bill in the end. Because the pleasure of your holiday may suffer," writes Alexander Neubacher in Der Spiegel. Even for the so-called "quality press" the transfer union has already started and German taxpayers will have to pay the bill for the somewhat too relaxed Italian lifestyle. An ironic comment from Der Spiegel.
Italy has reopened its borders to tourists. And since in a few days the German government's foreign travel alert will also be lifted, there's nothing stopping you from taking a summer holiday in the country of the German Sehnsucht: beautiful Italy, hurray, here we come!
This year, however, travellers will have to make a special effort not to hurt the feelings of their hosts. Only a few weeks ago, in fact, in Coronavirus-ridden Italy, one had the impression that the Italian-German friendship was just a step away from breaking up due to Germanic avarice.
A Five Star Senator, a ruling party in Rome, said he had had enough of the "dictates of Hitler's grandchildren". Tens of thousands of Italians shared a video in which a well-known Italian actor accused the Germans of being "arrogant without mercy" who still consider themselves "a superior race". The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, on the other hand, turned on the Germans by accusing them of being selfish and nationalistic after the Berlin government had sided against the Coronabonds.
It was fortunate for German tourists that Angela Merkel and French President Macron suddenly decided to support a 750 billion euro European aid programme. Most of the money, more than EURÂ 170Â billion, goes to Italy, 80Â billion of which should be non-repayable. What Italian could have ever believed that the Germans would be so generous?
The Dutch, along with the Austrians, Swedes and Danes, are still trying to stop that part of the non-repayable aid programme. One wonders where the Dutch will go on holiday this year.
As German tourists, what are the arguments to avoid in order not to ruin the delicate ties between Germany and Italy right away? My advice is: don't talk about everything to do with money. Here are some examples.
- Italy is heavily in debt, but is it ready to spend another three billion euros of public money on Alitalia, even though, unlike Lufthansa, it has been losing money for years? Forget it!
- Will the car manufacturer Fiat Chrysler obtain a loan guaranteed by the State of EURÂ 6.3Â billion? Close your eyes and leave it alone!
- Has the Italian Ministry of Finance just issued - exclusively for large investors and Italian savers - a high-interest bond, which German savers can only dream of? Never mind, don't look petty.
If you are wondering why the average Italian family has higher assets than the German family, then do it quietly. And don't be jealous when you find out that your lower-income Italian co-holidayer should collect up to 500 euros in government-paid holidays, provided the money stays in Italy.
My advice for holiday 2020: go to Italy, enjoy the Italian lifestyle! But do not ask yourselves who will pay the bill in the end. Because the pleasure of your holiday could be affected.
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