EU chief's €800-billion plan to rearm Europe divides Italy's leaders
A plan by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen to rearm Europe to the tune of €800 billion sparked mixed reactions among leaders in Italy's coalition government on Tuesday.
Von der Leyen's move came hours after the US announced its suspension of aid to Ukraine.
If approved, the plan would allow EU member states to "massively step up their support" of Ukraine by providing "immediate military equipment,” she wrote in a letter.
Italian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, of the Forza Italia party, welcomed the proposal, writing on X: "Finally, concrete steps forward are being taken to build an indispensable European defence [force]".
"It must be done, without delay [...] to make Europe stronger within the context of a solid alliance with the United States," he added.
League party leader Matteo Salvini, who also holds the position of deputy prime minister and who has faced scrutiny in the past for his close ties with Russia, slammed the plans.
"Is this the right way to support our children and leave behind a continent at peace?" the minister said, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
"I hope what I have read is wrong," he added.
Von der Leyen's five-point ‘rearm Europe’ plan includes easing the EU's strict budget rules to free up to €650 billion for defence spending over the next four years, redirecting existing EU funds towards defence, and creating an 'instrument' to provide €150 billion of loans to member states for defence investment.
ETA visa waiver applications open for EU/EEA citizens travelling to UK
Applications for the UK’s new ETA visa waiver are set to become available for EU and EEA nationals on Wednesday.
The British ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) scheme requires people with visa-free access to the UK to obtain prior authorisation before travelling to the country.
The requirement has been in place for non-EU nationals entering the UK since early January but is set to be extended to EU and EEA nationals from April 2nd, with applications opening on Wednesday, March 5th.
The visa waiver costs £10 and lasts two years, allowing for multiple trips to the country.
People travelling on a UK or Irish passport are exempt from ETA requirements, as are UK visa holders and people with residency status in the UK (for instance EU nationals with Settled or Pre-Settled Status).
You can find further details about the UK’s ETA scheme here.
Milan mayor aims to sell San Siro stadium to Inter and AC Milan by the summer
Inter Milan and AC Milan's bid to get a new stadium built on the site of San Siro was boosted on Tuesday after the mayor of Milan said he hoped to sell the iconic old ground to the Serie A clubs before the summer.
Speaking to radio station RTL 102.5, Giuseppe Sala said that he was hoping to receive a formal feasibility study, including a purchase offer, from the two clubs on Tuesday, which he would then pass to Milan's city council.
"The aim is to sell the stadium and the area surrounding it by the start of the summer holidays," said Sala.
Inter and AC Milan have long desired to replace San Siro with a modern ground owned by both clubs.
In October, they relaunched a joint construction project after abandoning it in 2023 due to bureaucratic and political hurdles.
Under the project, a new 70-000-seat stadium would be built in the area west of the San Siro ground, which is currently occupied by parking lots and a small park.
Work would begin after next year's Winter Olympics, whose opening ceremony will be held at San Siro.
Construction “will take a few years, and when the new stadium is ready, the clubs will renovate the old stadium, which in my opinion will stay in place as it is now until 2030," added Sala.
Inter and AC Milan ‘ultras’ stand trial over organised crime charges
Over a dozen hardcore fans of AC Milan and Inter Milan went on trial on Tuesday in connection with a raft of organised crime charges, AFP reported.
Held in a bunker courtroom in central Milan, the trial involved 16 of the 19 people arrested last year for crimes including criminal conspiracy aggravated by mafia methods – a charge usually reserved for the country's most powerful criminal organisations.
The alleged crimes include illegal activities carried out around the iconic San Siro stadium on match days – from ticket touting to the control of parking lots and sales from concession stands.
Renato Bosetti and Luca Lucci, the heads of the Inter and AC Milan ultras, were among the defendants.
Bosetti had taken control of Inter's ultras following the arrest of former leader Andrea Beretta over the murder of Antonio Bellocco – the scion of a powerful 'Ndrangheta mafia family in the southern Italian region of Calabria.
Bellocco was stabbed to death during an altercation outside a boxing gym in a Milan suburb.
Beretta has been collaborating with police authorities and prosecutors since his arrest. He attended Tuesday’s hearing via video link.
With reporting from Elaine Allaby and AFP.
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