In 2012, the carrying out of austerity plans and structural reforms by the technical government constituted the key parts of Italian economy. Although these measures have successfully prevented the outbreak of debt crisis,the Italian economy inevitably goes back to recession under a series of negative factors such as the downturn of global economy, the economic stagnation of the euro area, the gradual emergence of side-effects of austerity plans, the lingering threat of debt crisis and the strong earthquakes. The Italian political situation remains generally stable. However, the centre-right parties have been further weakened and the domestic political picture becomes more complicated. The in-process reform of electoral law is another focus of attention. The economic crisis and tough austerity plans gave rise to grand-scale protests and strikes, but didn't evolve into social turbulence. "Economic Diplomacy" was one of the core elements of Italian foreign policies in this year, aiming to alleviate domestic crisis by strengthening external economic relations. <<