Despite protests from The Hague, the Italian minister is refusing to withdraw his comments.
Mr Giovanardi made the controversial statement last week in a radio programme produced by Italy's RAI public broadcasting service. When the news reached the Netherlands the following day, Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot summoned the Italian ambassador, while Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende demanded an apology from the Italian minister.
Far from apologising, however, Mr Giovanardi added fuel to the fire by comparing the euthanasia of severely deformed newly-born babies - in accordance with the rules laid down two years ago in the Netherlands in what is known as "Groningen protocol" - with the Nazi practice of 'eugenics' at the time of Germany's Third Reich. In a newspaper interview he accused the Netherlands of renouncing 'two thousand years of Christianity', and having chosen the path of 'eliminating the deaf, blind and elderly.'
'Nazi tulips'
Italy's left-wing opposition began to call for his resignation, but his own party - the Christian Democrat UDC - and ultra-right government party the National Alliance came to his aid. Since then, articles have been appearing in rightwing Italian newspapers in which the Dutch have been attacked as 'hypocrite louts' and 'Nazi tulips'. Il Giornale, a newspaper owned by Prime Minister Berlusconi's brother, warned that a victory by the centre-left in the general election on 9 April could see Italy threatened with a move towards 'infanticide'.
In an interview with Dutch commercial TV station Talpa, broadcast on Tuesday this week, Mr Giovanardi did modify his stance a little, saying that his criticism was not aimed at the entire population of the Netherlands but at some of the country's doctors. However, he minister stuck to his view that the Netherlands is going down a path which evokes horrors from the past.
The fact that another European Christian Democrat - Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende - feels differently appears to make no difference to the Italian minister who, during the TV interview, even admitted that he did not know Mr Balkenende was a political 'colleague'.
Domestic battle
For Mr Giovanardi and his party the issue has become a way of raising their profile against that of their omnipresent government ally, Prime Minister Berlusconi, who has now distanced himself from the minister's controversial comments, saying that he can do nothing about them. Indeed, the Italian prime minister is not free to sack government ministers as he sees fit; this requires a vote by parliament, which has now been dissolved in connection with the coming elections. Consequently, Mr Giovanardi will be remaining in his post for the time being.
* translation by RN Internet
Tags: babies, Balkenende, Ben, Berlusconi, Bot, Capezzone, Carlo Giovanardi, election, eugenics, euthanasia, Groningen, infanticide, Italian, Italy, Nazis, protocol, RAI, Reich, Talpa, Third