Italy Says Making Up Time To Solve Y2K Problems

Updated 5:58 PM ET September 14, 1999

ROME (Reuters) - Italy, one of several nations cited in a U.S. report on Y2K readiness as potentially at risk, said Tuesday it was quickly making up for lost time to avoid Year 2000 computer glitches.

In a travel update, the State Department said its citizens could run into problems in such countries as Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, India and China.

But among the world's leading industrialized G7 nations only Italy scored below par, receiving a could-do-better report card.

Germany and Japan were generally well prepared and France was "low risk," the report said.

Ermanno Granelli, vice president of the government's Year 2000 committee set up to study Y2K problems, acknowledged that Italy had lagged behind.

"There are sectors which are of some concern but they are catching up well and ... are reaching the safety threshold," Granelli told reporters.

Granelli said some data in the U.S. report were not up to date and some details might not apply to the Italian system. He said, for example, that as far as water supply was concerned, Italy, unlike the United States and the Netherlands, did not depend on computers but on a "less sophisticated but effective electromechanical system."

Granelli stressed there was no risk to Italy's airports as they were linked to secure international networks.

With less than four months before the arrival of the year 2000, Italy's interministerial committee on Y2K met for the first time only on September 8.

Billions of dollars have been spent around the world trying to fix the so-called Y2K glitch that could prevent some aging computers from distinguishing 2000 from 1900 at the beginning of the year. The date confusion could cause computers to malfunction or even shut down.

Committee President Ernesto Bettinelli had already warned in June that the Italian state sector was way behind the banking system and stock exchange in dealing with any potential millennium bug problem.

Bettinelli has asked heads of state administration departments to present their emergency plans to him this month. None as yet has been made public.

The Bank of Italy's vice director-general, Antonio Finocchiaro, has however described the state of preparation of the banking and financial system as "satisfying."

"It will be necessary to devote the second half of this year to completing plans of action -- emergency measures must be ready and put in place, above all for facing any eventual external risks," Finocchiaro said in June.

U.S. consultants Caper Jones have estimated the Italian state sector will have to spend around $1.3 billion on upgrading computer systems to combat the bug -- a sum which will have to be factored in during government talks this month on setting the draft 2000 budget.

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Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), September 14, 1999

Answers

Granelli stressed there was no risk to Italy's airports as they were linked to secure international networks.

What the hell kind of diversionary obfuscation is that?

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), September 14, 1999.

Italy Says Making Up Time To Solve Y2K Problems

... don't they wish. Like 40 hour days and 52 week months.

"the Italian state sector will have to spend around $1.3 billion on upgrading computer systems to combat the bug -- a sum which will have to be factored in during government talks this month on setting the draft 2000 budget."

Draft budget? THIS month?

Care to take a look at our trade with Italy

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), September 14, 1999.

Here's what's going to happen in various countries when the computers fail:

Italy; computers get taken for a 'ride'.

France; buildings housing computers just blown up.

Germany; computers are locked up in prison where the they all commit 'suicide'.

Netherlands; computers are give euthanasia.

USA; computers become lethal weapons for crazed mobs.

Japan; computers are told to commit seppuku.

China; computers are shot and the owners are billed for the ammunition used.

Cuba; computers are put on rafts and 'allowed' to escape to Florida.

Mexico; poor people make shacks out of computers to live in.

England; they declare war on somebody and sit up colonies!

-- Mr. Blond (favors@f/f.yum), September 15, 1999.