Italians were hit hardest when the coronavirus landed in Europe but the European Union was slow to help the country. The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has apologised — twice. The contrition is better late than never, says Marco Zatterin, deputy editor of La Stampa newspaper in Turin. Even so, far-right anti-European forces have been able to exploit the procrastination to regain traction. That has renewed anxiety about an Italexit — a scenario where Italy falls out of the Eurozone and even the EU. Throughout the crisis, Zatterin, a former Brussels correspondent and an accomplished author, has led one of two teams at La Stampa that published the newspaper without interruption as the virus tore through Turin and the neighboring Lombardy region. The episode also features poems by Ben Ray whose volumes include What I heard on the Last Cassette Player in the World. “Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125” by Papalin is licensed under CC by 3.0. "Magic Hour" by Three Chain Links is licensed under CC by 4.0. Wael Koudaih kindly contributed his track “Thawra” to this episode. You’ll find more of his music under the name Rayess Bek. Visit our website for episode art and for more EU Scream.Support the show

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