Italy tops list of EU rule breakers

Italy was the worst country in the European Union when it came to applying mandatory European Union laws, the European Commission said this week, further solidifying the country’s reputation as a country of rule breakers and one of Europe’s less reliable partners, according to analysts.

According to the Oct. 1 report from the Commission, there were 472 complaints against Italy for failing to apply European law — more than any other EU country, ahead of Spain (with 439 complaints) and Germany (with 297 complaints).

At the end of the year, a total of 104 cases were unresolved for Italy, again ahead of Spain (with 91 outstanding cases) and Greece (with 79). Latvia, the least problematic country in the EU, had just 20 outstanding cases at the end of last year.

It is not the first time Italy topped the European Commission’s list of EU rule breakers. Commentators say the trend only reinforces the view of Italy as a country with a “flexible” view of rules and laws.

“Italy’s reputation is in part formed by the image as a population that doesn’t pay taxes, doesn’t obey traffic laws, and so on,” Antonio Biondi, an Italy-born pop culture commentator working in London, told Xinhua. “Something like this shows that kind of behavior goes to the highest levels of government.”

“Why do Italians disregard so many rules?” asked Roger Abravabel, an author and social commentator. “They do it because they can. There are few consequences for disregarding many rules.”

Abravabel authored a book called Regole, Italian for “Rules,” which explores the topic of the rule of law in Italy. In the book, he wrote that much of the problem comes from a slow and inefficient criminal justice system, which results in a disconnection between the act and any sanctions.

“The laws are ineffective and so the response in Italy is to make more laws,” Abravabel said in an interview. “The result is a big mess nobody can figure out.”

There are other factors linked with with the trend involving European Commission complaints against Italy. Some in the Italian media blamed government instability and inefficiency for the problems.

According to Monica Rubini, a University of Bologna expert in social psychology, another factor may be an anti-European sentiment in Italy.

“Italians have always felt less ‘European’ than the residents in many countries,” Rubini told Xinhua. “I think they are less than thrilled to have rules dictated to them from Brussels.”

Abravabel, the author, said the mindset in Italy is working against it. “In other countries, if there is a bad law they still follow it and over time it’s improved,” he said. “In Italy, they just make more and more laws. You must have the right rules and then they have to be obeyed. Often, Italy fails on both counts.”