A NYT article discussing the possibility that Silvio Berlusconi may have his seat in the Italian Senate taken away following a criminal conviction for tax fraud, noted that this could lead to a collapse of the coalition government ruling Italy, which it tells readers could pose risks:

“to the tentative economic recovery under way in Europe.”

It is worth noting that Italy has not shared in this recovery having seen its economy contract for 8 consecutive quarters. In the most recent quarter it contracted at a 0.8 percent annual rate. This may make Italians less concerned about jeopardizing the recovery.