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Italy?s Focus on Joining the European Monetary Union Known for its history of stormy government, Italy has enjoyed a relative period of calmness since early 1996 when Prime Minister Romano Prodi?s centre-left Olive Tree Alliance took power. With this last period of stability, Italy?s government has been able to focus more on governing the country rather than what group was currently participating in what had become Italy?s ?drive through? style of government. Immediately upon coming into power, the Prodi ?Olive Tree? government announced that the issue of top priority would be in readying Italy?s finances for joining the European Monetary Union (EMU). Though Italy?s economy is Europes? third largest, it historically has been one of the weaker of the Western European economies. Based on current economic performance, established guidelines of the EMU would prevent Italy from joining during the first wave in Europe?s mission to establish a single monetary unit.1 Aside from purely economic concerns, Italy faces other challenges in readying themselves to join the EMU. The disparity between the economic states of the northern and southern regions continues to grow and detracts from the Prodi government?s mission to achieve