Italy officially enters recession.

Opinion in Italy is divided into two camps - those who like what conversion to the Euro has done for the country, and those who don't like the Euro.

A poll reported in a June 10, 2005 story by the BBC News service said that 50 percent of respondents thought the Euro had benefited the Italian economy.

Meanwhile, in May 2005, Italy officially entered recession.

In response to this development, factions opposed to the Euro blamed the recession squarely on the adoption of the currency. The consensus of the opposition argument was that the Euro was responsible for raising consumer prices.

On the other side of the argument, the consensus of those favoring the adoption of the Euro said that the currency was responsible for many young people being able to afford mortgages for the first time. Lifestyle patterns in Italy have long been associated with young people living with their parents to a later age than in other developed countries because of the difficulty of establishing their own households.

No conclusive statistical evidence was offered by either side.

Finger-pointing following the rejection of the European Union constitution and Italy's recession is likely to dominate public debate in the near term.