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Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by paganel on Monday March 09, 2020 @05:52PM (#22530253)
I hope (and suspect) that the ECB (and Europe as a whole) will financially stand behind Italy, no questions asked (I'm a fellow European).
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by zelphirkalt on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @03:16AM (#22533402)
As the EU is mostly only its parts and everyone now in alert, I highly doubt it. Everyone is keeping their medical items to themselves now, because there is not even sufficient for their own country. EU will mostly be talk.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by dx034 on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @04:37AM (#22533770)
They are mostly talk because the EU has little actual power. Giving debt relief to Italy has to be decided by head of states. I'm pretty certain that there's a lot of public support across the EU to help Italy if they need to. If Italy cannot refinance, issuing debt backed by several countries would be an easy option. You wouldn't even need support by all EU countries, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France backing it would be more than enough. And those would certainly be sympathetic to do that, a collapsing Euro would hit all of those states harder.

But so far, debt markets are still open and there's no reason to panic. Therefore governments focus on more pressing problems for now.

Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by wolco on Monday March 09, 2020 @08:15PM (#22531406)
What happens when France and Germany and Spain reach Italy totals? Who will be left to help out?
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by paganel on Monday March 09, 2020 @08:35PM (#22531524)
Good question, I'm thinking that the EU (because at that point this will have become a political issue) will have to put all its geo-political weight to good use and force a debt moratorium, I don't think that just plain old QE (or whatever else they'll decide to call it) will work anymore. That could at least relieve some pressure off Italy, which has one of the highest debts to service from the OECD group.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by nutjob2 on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @01:02AM (#22532876)
The ECB, of course. It can create an unlimited money and use it to support the stability of banks that are the largest holders of sovereign debt. It's done this before and it will do it again.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by koheripbal on Monday March 09, 2020 @10:16PM (#22532156)
I believe Turkey is sending people to help...
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by luckydata on Monday March 09, 2020 @10:25PM (#22532193)
Allow me to doubt this until I see it become reality. The European government has been less than helpful to Italy throughout its history.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by tanilama on Monday March 09, 2020 @06:33PM (#22530625)
I am not European, but I hope EU can act jointly to handle this.

Otherwise, EU's future is jeopardy.

Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by sparkling on Monday March 09, 2020 @09:08PM (#22531744)
A full-scale failiure of the Italian economy and/or failing of any major Italian bank is "game over" for the Euro. The Greece bailout already had the Eurozone down on its knees, but this is a different dimension.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by PeterStuer on Monday March 09, 2020 @06:45PM (#22530729)
You seem to forget that the ECB is there for the banks, not for the people or their countries.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by kspacewalk2 on Monday March 09, 2020 @07:12PM (#22530961)
You seem to forget that [ insert deeply ideological sloganeering / extremely arguable value judgment ].
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by andrei_says_ on Monday March 09, 2020 @09:31PM (#22531890)
I wish everyone was addressing trolling face on, like you. Thank you.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by ohazi on Monday March 09, 2020 @06:50PM (#22530773)
The financial stakeholders in these banks and in Europe as a whole have a powerful motivation to contain this pandemic.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by nutjob2 on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @01:08AM (#22532903)
Yes, the ECB is there to support and regulate the banks, that is its job. There is a very good reason for this: if you don't have stable and healthy banks you don't have a functioning economy.

People of your ideological ilk see this as some sort of negative but it's absolutely vital. You may think of banks as evil and having a lot of money, but that money is not theirs but "the people's."

Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by zelphirkalt on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @03:19AM (#22533412)
Many banks certainly don't tend to act like it is the people's money.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by dx034 on Tuesday March 10, 2020 @04:38AM (#22533774)
The ECB can (and has in the past) given out cheap money under the condition that this is used for loans. They could do that again easily.
Re:Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to... by PeterStuer on Thursday March 12, 2020 @05:35PM (#22562032)
Loans to companies to buy back their own stock. XD