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| | In a blitz, Prodi acts for change - Business - International Herald Tribune |
 | | MILAN With an unexpected blitz, Prime Minister Romano Prodi of Italy pushed a decree through his cabinet this month that ends decades of protections for many sectors of Italy's economy, from pharmacists to insurance agents to lawyers. |
 | | The far-reaching decree, among other things, legalizes the sale of nonprescription drugs in supermarkets, increases the number of taxi licenses and eliminates the minimum fees that lawyers, notaries and those selling other professional services can charge while also allowing them to advertise their services. |
 | | Consumer groups are cheering Prodi on, as are Italian and foreign economists, some of whom have estimated that the changes could save the average Italian as much as €1,000, or $1,250, a year and spur Italy's economy, which has been in the doldrums for five years. |
| www.iht.com /articles/2006/07/18/business/lira.php (988 words) |
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