How to spend it

摘要

TO OPEN A motor-repair business in Italy, you need 86 permits. Opt for something simpler, like selling pizza by the slice, and things may not stay simple for long: your firm will be subject to checks by 21 different government agencies. Get into a commercial dispute and you can expect it to drag on for three years on average, twice as long as in Spain.These facts and figures, assembled for the website of Corriere della Sera, a daily, help explain why Italy was ranked fifth-worst among eu states in the World Bank's latest survey of obstacles to doing business. They also help explain why this month's European summit lasted five days as a quartet of flinty countries resisted approving a landmark deal to fund the eu's recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.