Sergio Cofferati analyses the crisis in Europe, especially the options open to Italy, and Rosario Crocetta examines the mafias' reach in Europe.

7 Days: Spotlight on Italy

Hello and welcome to this week's  edition of 7 Days in Europe.

Sovereign debt crisis,  economic crisis, employment crisis.

Eurostat has published  new forecasts today.

Unemployment is rising. 16 million  people in Europe are out of work.

Here with me today is Sergio Cofferati from  the Socialists and Democrats Group. Hello.

you were leader  of the largest Italian trade union,

we always ask our guests  some quick-fire questions.

One minute of 'yes or no' answers.  Let's go.

Do you think the euro may not survive?  -Yes.

Can Italy emerge from the crisis?  -I hope so.

Do we need external help,  like from the IMF, to calm the markets?

Is Italy at risk of losing sovereignty?  -Yes.

Is there a need for reforms in Italy?  -Some, yes.

The EU is asking us to freeze pension  increases if we go into recession.

Do you agree?  -Freezing pensions would be terrible.

Completing the pension reforms  seems to be an inevitable step.

In Germany everybody receives  their pension at the same age.

Do you agree with this?  -The situations cannot be compared.

Would you accept  a finance minister for the euro?

but there's also the issue  of casual labour.

Thank you for playing our game.  We'll discuss things in more detail later.

Let's look at what's happened this week  in Europe with Caroline Grasso.

Floods, droughts, melting glaciers  and pollution - finding solutions is urgent.

On Monday, the international climate  summit opened in Durban, South Africa.

Representatives of 191 countries, including  an MEP delegation, came together

with the aim of finding an agreement  on limiting greenhouse gases.

But amidst an economic crisis, even  the head of the MEP delegation is cautious.

We used to be optimists,  now we're realists.

I don't want to become a pessimist,  because if I do, we'll have lost.

We must make progress in Durban,  but it'll be hard.

Eurozone crisis: after Standard & Poor’s  downgraded Belgian debt on Saturday,

the entire eurozone risks losing its triple A.

It’s in this context that Mario Draghi, the  new head of the European Central Bank,

Jean-Claude Trichet’s successor, met  the MEPs for the first time on Thursday.

In Europe, 6 million kids leave school before  they're 18, with half ending up unemployed.

MEPs are speaking out against old methods  like repeating a year, considered inefficient.

Just repeating a year is a bit sterile -  you just do the same things again.

Amidst an unemployment crisis,  new measures were passed Thursday

to reform education,  including a ‘second chance school’

for the students with  the highest risk of dropping out.

This Spanish MEP  is one of the EP’s 18 new faces.

With the entry into force  of the Lisbon Treaty,

the number of MEPs rose from 736 to 754.

Mere observers for two years, they were  eager to be integrated as full Members.

So let's get back to this crisis  that's been haunting us for two years.

Recently there have been rumours,  although nobody will confirm them,

Do you think this is an inevitable  solution for calming market hysteria?

Not inevitable,  but it will probably happen.

because, as you said,  it would represent a further loss

of autonomy and sovereignty  for our country.

We need specific,  effective and credible measures

aimed not only at bringing stability  but also at promoting growth

because if a country doesn't  embrace growth it can't be stable

and will end up in difficulties  within a few months.

Before we come to Italy,  a subject concerning all of Europe,

the demands of Brussels and the answers  that Mario Monti needs to give,

the EU summit is being held  in a few days' time

in terms of  both governance and stability.

Do you hope the European Central Bank  will intervene, the EFSF?

What is Sergio Cofferati's recipe  for a stronger Europe

There are many things we can do  and other things that we must do

under the treaty  that is already in place.

We need to enhance it to give security  to investors in Europe

EU countries don't want  to put in more money

and other countries, such as China,  aren't that interested.

All the EU has to do  is issue eurobonds quickly

and introduce the tax on financial  transactions that has been established

in order to have resources  for enhancing the EFSF

these will make southern countries  avoid introducing reforms,

no intervention by the Central Bank  because of inflation.

Nothing seems to be moving forward  at the moment.

Germany's attitude is unacceptable  because all they're doing is saying no.

Without new tools it's difficult to stop  this haemorrhage from certain countries

and impossible  to have a proper growth policy.

This also applies to Germany because  if the growth forecasts are correct,

Germany will have serious problems  next year

The cycle will be reversed.  -They will have export problems too.

and an urgent need  for particular reforms in Italy.

Brussels is pinning its expectations  on the new government.