Part 3/13:
The tension originated from a confidential document drafted in Berlin, explicitly designed to strip Italy of its economic independence. This document wasn't a diplomatic speech or a summit declaration; it was a meticulous blueprint—the European fiscal consolidation framework—aimed at controlling Italy financially and strategically.
At its core, the blueprint appears innocuous on the surface—an EU budget reform proposal. But a close examination reveals its true purpose: to enforce strict fiscal oversight on countries with debts exceeding 115% of GDP, including Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. These nations would no longer decide their own budgets; instead, a new European fiscal authority based in Frankfurt, staffed predominantly by German economists, would take control.