#Let’s Talk About Europe: Italy’s European determination

We Italians consider the European Union to be a natural community of destiny in which it has been possible to promote and realize, over the last 70 years, our aspirations for peace, freedom, security and well-being. As a founding country, Italy has accompanied the process of European integration in all its stages, making Rome an essential crossroads in the construction of European unity. We Italians recognize, therefore, that entry into the EU is a historic choice that united the continent after decades of bloody wars and that today allows us to face global challenges that individual countries would not have been able to face with the same efficiency.

The continental dimension remains essential, which demonstrates the breadth of vision of the founding fathers in 1957, when they signed the Treaty of Rome. The recent crises – the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the consequent energy crisis – tell us that it is necessary to move the European project forward, keeping it in line with the aspirations of citizens.

The Conference on the Future of Europe, which closed last May, offered the opportunity to engage citizens in the debate on the challenges and priorities to build the Union of tomorrow – and at the same time to bring them even closer together. The conference was well attended in Italy, which shows how important the EU is to Italians. With up to 750 events included in the European multilingual digital platform, our country was second in number of initiatives; we were also among the six countries that organized a national panel of citizens dedicated to the conference. Finally, different Italian proposals were included in the 49 finals adopted. A result and a contribution to be proud of!

Italy wants to continue with determination in this perspective of reflection and renewal. Italian citizens are calling for Europe to function better and to take more responsibility for those issues that are transnational or even global in scope: for example health, social policy or defence. Legitimate requests that feed the aspiration of a Europe that is more active and committed to solving the problems that our societies suffer. The wish is that a transformation process can soon be launched that goes in the direction set by the citizens.

Cohesion for greater prosperity and freedom

Throughout seventy years of European integration, together we have achieved extraordinary and unthinkable results: an internal market of more than 400 million people with common rules and a single customs border; the Economic and Monetary Union with the euro; a space in which our young people, thanks to the Erasmus program, can live shared study experiences and build a new base of mutual knowledge. Thanks to Schengen, moreover, we have created an area of ​​freedom, security and justice without internal border controls. Italy has always been an active part of these achievements, convinced that a cohesive EU brings greater prosperity and well-being.

For its part, Europe has launched transformations in Italy that have benefited society, helping to increase citizens’ rights, promoting reforms and enriching institutions. In this framework, the Italian and European development trajectories are intertwined, mix and overlap, especially at the level of economic and social growth.

Looking at specific examples, it is clear that various EU funds have contributed, over the years, to the development of infrastructure in southern Italy, with positive consequences for the national economy as a whole. In addition, Italy’s participation in the Eurogroup promoted the stability of our country’s economic parameters, thus increasing investor confidence.

“In the great challenges posed by the ecological transition and by the geostrategic restructuring of energy supplies and interconnections, Italy and Spain have a shared vision and must seize the opportunity to affirm it”

More recently, Italy has contributed a lot to the EU in achieving key goals for its future; among them, the management of migratory phenomena, the reform of fiscal rules and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, on which we register a great harmony of sights with Spain. In the great challenges posed by the ecological transition and by the geostrategic restructuring of energy supplies and interconnections, Italy and Spain have a shared vision and must seize the opportunity to affirm it. In addition, there are many other sectors in which we hold common views or in which we can work to bring the respective positions closer to the benefit of the Union and its future.

In this regard, we are convinced that the future of the European project is linked to the integration process and its trajectory, which will make it possible to shape the tools with which the EU faces new challenges. Italy is working for an enlarged Europe that is more agile in its decision-making mechanisms, in order to be able to give concrete answers to very complex phenomena. Surely, for the future, the Union must be able to decide effectively and quickly, without getting stuck or accepting less courageous solutions.

The war in Ukraine has shown that we can and must be ambitious, to strengthen democracy against autocracy, the protection of human rights against abuse, respect for international law against any violation and manipulation, historical truth against attempts at falsification.

Being up to the current delicate historical moment means knowing how to overcome particularisms and look to higher interests, moving forward with a more democratic idea of ​​Europe, with economic governance capable of accompanying the twin transitions and an industrial policy that strengthens the global competitiveness of European companies. The Union needs a migration policy that does not penalize certain countries over others, that represents a bulwark of the rule of law and the protection of human rights.

a mediterranean force

Today’s Europe stands on solid foundations, which have allowed us to achieve many significant advances. The way in which we are facing the current challenges clearly demonstrates this. Much remains to be done and Italy will continue to work in this direction, together with a priority partner such as Spain. The advantage for our two countries of working side by side according to converging priorities and interests, which stem from our common history, culture and roots, is evident. Together we are a “Mediterranean force”: with a demographic weight corresponding to more than 25% of the European population and a pole of attraction for the other southern European countries, something that can benefit Europe as a whole.

The meeting of the Med-9 group on September 30 in Alicante will serve to bring together the perspectives of the Mediterranean countries of the EU on issues that the conflict in Ukraine has made even more urgent. Spain, therefore, has a first opportunity in the short term to exercise its leadership in a very delicate phase of history. In the medium term, the opportunity and the challenge will clearly be the Spanish rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in 2023, which Italy strongly supports.

We have great confidence in Spain’s ability to perfectly manage a cycle that promises to be crucial. We believe that a country so closely linked to us will be able to exercise a particularly positive influence on multiple processes of significant mutual interest. Much will also depend on the evolution of the international scene, first of all the war in Ukraine, about which it is difficult to make forecasts. In the coming months it will be better understood how the development of the various current crises will redefine the EU’s priorities. The challenge for Spain is undoubtedly far-reaching, since the problems that require rapid and concerted action are added to previous issues, whose solution can no longer be postponed.

We trust that Spain, so close to Italy due to similar sensitivities and common perspectives, knows how to give a strong impetus to decision-making processes on key issues for the progress and well-being of our countries and our societies.