Il first speech by the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, in front of the 705 deputies of the European Parliament opens with the memory of David Sassoli, passed away last January. "Sassoli - said the Premier - has never stopped working on what he defined in his last speech to the European Council, a 'new project of hope' for 'a Europe that innovates, protects, illuminates'", he underlined Draghi, then reviewing the most important issues on the agenda in recent months in view of the European Council at the end of May: from the war in Ukraine to the need to build "a pragmatic federalism" in the EU, from the revision of the treaties to military spending up to need to cap energy prices.
War in Ukraine
“The war in Ukraine puts the European Union ahead of one of the most serious crises in its history. A crisis that is both humanitarian, security, energy, economic,” said the Prime Minister. “Russia's aggression against Ukraine has called into question the greatest achievement of the European Union: peace on our continent. A peace based on respect for territorial borders, the rule of law, democratic sovereignty; on the use of diplomacy as a means of settling disputes between states,” Draghi explained.
"We must support Ukraine, your government and your people, as President Zelensky has asked and continues to ask us to do. In a war of aggression, there can be no equivalence between those who invade and those who resist", continued the Premier, underlining that "Italy, as a founding country of the European Union, as a country that deeply believes in peace, is ready to commit first line for reach a diplomatic solution.
Draghi: The EU needs a pragmatic federalism
“The European institutions that our predecessors built over the past decades have served European citizens well, but they are inadequate for the reality that manifests itself to us today ahead,” said Prime Minister Mario Draghi. "We need to a pragmatic federalism, which embraces all areas affected by the transformations underway: from the economy, to energy, to security. If this requires the start of a path that will lead to revision of the Treaties, embrace it with courage and confidence", he added, supporting the need to "overcome the principle of unanimity and move towards decisions taken by qualified majority. According to him, the principle of unanimity "gives rise to an intergovernmental logic made up of crossed vetoes". "A Europe capable of taking decisions in a timely manner is a more credible Europe in front of its citizens and in front of the world", he reiterated.
“The flood integration of countries showing European aspirations – continued Draghi – does not represent a threat to the stability of the European project. It is part of its making. Italy supports the immediate opening of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, in line with the decision taken by the European Council in March 2020. We want to give new impetus to the negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro, and ensure the maximum attention to the legitimate expectations of Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo. We are in favor of the entry of all these countries e we want Ukraine in the EU".
Draghi pushes gas prices to the roof
“The war in Ukraine has shown the deep vulnerability of many of our countries towards Moscow. Italy is one of the most exposed Member States”Draghi admitted, underlining how energy dependence is “imprudent from an economic point of view, and dangerous from a geopolitical point of view. Italy intends to take all the necessary decisions a defend their own security and that of Europe. We have supported the sanctions that the EU has decided to impose against Russia, including those in the energy sector. We will continue to do so with the same conviction in the future,” confirmed the Premier.
“Since the beginning of the crisis, Italy has asked to put a European ceiling on gas prices imported from Russia. Moscow sells nearly two-thirds of its exports to the EU, largely via pipelines that cannot be redirected to other buyers. Our proposal would allow us to use our negotiating power to reduce the exorbitant costs that weigh on our economies today. This measure would make it possible to reduce the sums that we send to Putin every day, and which inevitably finance his military campaign”, added Draghi, recalling that the issue of the cost of energy will be at the center of the next European Council. "There is a need for strong and immediate decisions" underlined the Premier, recalling that in Italy, "in the first 4 months of this year, the price of electricity has quadrupled compared to the same period last year with a very severe impact on the economy. Italy alone has spent around 30 billion euros this year”. It is a "systemic problem that must be solved with structural solutions, that break the link between the price of gas and that of electricity”.
“Sure against expensive energy”
Among the solutions proposed by the number one of Palazzo Chigi to the soaring energy prices is that of expanding Sure, the temporary support to mitigate the risks of unemployment in an emergency. Through this mechanism, the EU would be able to "provide countries that request it with new funding to mitigate the impact of energy price increases". A measure that could be implemented "quickly to support economies" and finance "bill reduction measures, but also temporary support for lower wages, for example with tax relief measures", defending "the purchasing power of families , especially the most fragile, without risking generating new inflation”.
Draghi: "We need a conference on military spending"
Speaking of the need to build greater integration into the EU, Draghi argued for the need to “convene a conference to rationalize and optimize investments in military spending. Furthermore, the construction of a common defense must be accompanied by a unified foreign policy and effective decision-making mechanisms”.
