Investors steer clear of Italy

The passage of a new foreign trade act in Germany has restricted the influence of foreign investors. The daily La Stampa sees no need for such a course of action in Italy: "The takeover of substantial shares in companies by Asian states arouses hope and fear in the West. ... China and Russia are countries where democracy is weak and no doubt have the intention of playing a leading role in global geopolitics. They could use the profits not to pay the pensions of their citizens but to pursue strategic goals in conflicts with Westerners at management level." These fears, the newspaper writes, are well-founded in Germany, but Italy "does not have such worries because its companies, like the bankrupt airline Alitalia, do not attract foreign investors. It is already being excluded from global market strategies and has no objections whatsoever to the growing ties between political and economic power. ... Italy's main worry should be the lack of interest on the part of state-controlled investment funds."

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