Another major earthquake hits central Italy
Central Italy was once again rocked by a severe earthquake on Sunday, the worst in Italy in 36 years and the fifth destructive tremor in the region since August. The press draws attention to the tens of thousands of people left homeless and stresses that Italy cannot shoulder the costs of emergency aid and reconstruction on its own.
Italy needs more than expressions of solidarity
The earthquake in Italy is very much the business of the rest of Europe, Die Welt writes:
“In view of the utterly demolished villages and at least 50,000 homeless, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has no time to worry about fulfilling the Eurozone's deficit criteria. He made that clear on Sunday morning. ... The reconstruction will take decades and cost many billions of euros. The second major uncertainty in Italy's already unstable situation: how can the country continue to take in hundreds of thousands of refugees when countless Italian citizens no longer have a roof over their heads? ... Now, as many media have written with pathos, 'our country's Medieval heart lies in ruins'. If the Italians are to undergo an operation on this wounded heart they will need more than words of solidarity from their European partners. They will need substantial aid.”
People must stay in the region
Rome estimates that roughly 40,000 people have been left homeless after the earthquake. Understandably, many of them are refusing to be moved to other regions, Il Sole 24 Ore writes:
“It would be a disaster to implement the plan and 'deport' those hit by the earthquake to the coast in the Marche region. Also because that would do irreparable damage to coastal tourism, which is the mainstay of the growth plan for the region. ... Instead any plan must demonstrate a belief in the women and men of Italy's innermost region. They know their region well and have always shown their strength when times were tough. Every small company that gets back on its feet and every new startup is one piece in a puzzle that must be put back together. All human resources, no matter how old, must be kept in the region. And new young people must be attracted. Because without them there can be no future.”