The ambassador Michele Valensise was confirmed in November last year, on a joint proposal by the Italian and German governments, President of the Italian-German Center for the European dialogue Villa Vigoni. An esteemed and recognized diplomat, he met the German world in 1981 when our embassy was in Bonn and there were two Germanys. Until he held the position of Ambassador of Italy in Berlin between 2009 and 2012. Firstonline joined him for a dialogue on the vote that will change not only the face of Germany, but will probably also have effects on Europe and the whole world . Here is his interview.
Ambassador, shall we start with the candidates? Social Democrat Olaf Scholz turned out to be the public's favorite at least according to hot polls conducted by Sat after the televised duels, the Triells as they were termed. It came as a surprise to many observers. What do you think? Was she too? Has the time of Social Democracy returned?
“Yes, all the polls indicate that Scholz is ahead of Laschet and Baerbock and that his personal popularity reverberates on his party, the SPD, until recently at an all-time low. Scholz seems to have managed to regain consensus lost in the past and to reassure, with his balance, a more "centrist" section of the electorate, now an orphan of Angela Merkel. In any case, those votes are tempting. This is why Olaf Scholz presents himself, with irony, as "the next Chancellor" and comes to imitate Merkel even in her gestures, in the famous rumble. It will be interesting to see how Scholz's approach, measured and reassuring, will combine with some more marked positions of the party's leadership and base”.
Still on the candidates: Annalena Baerbock at the time of the presentation of her candidacy seemed to be on the rise. Also because it is the true bearer of climate-related issues and its tragic upheavals for which Germany paid a dear price with its 180 deaths caused by the August flood. What happened then? Where did she go wrong in her opinion?
“Annalena Baerbock is a prepared and determined woman. When you nominated her as a candidate of the Greens for the Federal Chancellery, you had aroused a lot of interest, also due to the efficiency of the selection process within the party. I don't think she was penalized by the severe floods this summer, indeed the disaster is a strong reminder of the importance of the environmental preservation policies advocated by the Grünen. Instead, she was affected by some of her personal mistakes, which tarnished her image a bit: copied degree thesis, administrative irregularities, retouched curriculum vitae. In Germany they are more serious faults than in us”.
Finally Armin Laschet: what do you think of him? Were the Christian Democrats wrong in picking their champion as the polls show?
“Objectively he proved to be weaker than expected and with him the CDU is today at an all-time low. The selection of the candidate for the Chancellery was tough, long but essentially linear. Perhaps Merkel's support could have been more decisive and certainly some criticism, more or less veiled, by Söder against her did not help him ”.
And we come to Germany: which country does Angela Merkel leave behind? What are the strengths of this country at the dawn of the new times imposed by the pandemic? And which ones are weak?
“After sixteen years of uninterrupted government by Merkel, albeit with two different coalitions, today Germany is ready to take over the Chancellery. She is less willing to change policy than Angela Merkel. A good deal of continuity is to be expected, in a country where the majority of the population declares themselves substantially satisfied with their economic position. On the other hand, there are still sectors in which decisive action is needed to modernize them in step with the times (digitalization, infrastructure, etc.). It is the agenda being discussed in recent weeks and on which the government program of the next coalition will be written (in detail).
What opinion do you have of Angela Merkel? What was her greatest success and what was her great defeat?
“Even the opponents recognize the Chancellor's great competence and remarkable determination. The long years of government and his style will certainly leave their mark, in Germany and in Europe. It is precisely in Europe that we will remember her, cautious and at times too procrastinating but also capable of tireless mediation and the necessary compromises for maintaining the common home in moments that are far from easy for the Union. Among the successes, let's not forget the last one, the decisive German support for the adoption of the European Recovery plan in July 2020. Then, of course, other steps on the path to greater European integration could have been taken with more impetus by the first European country. But the balance sheet presents more lights than shadows”.
Until a few months ago, some observers reflected that Europe would acquire a true political identity only if Germany accepted to assume its leadership, that is, if it agreed to recognize itself as its heart, in terms of strength and greatness. Have you ever had this thought? If so, is it still valid after Merkel's exit?
“It is the eternal question whether Germany does too much or too little in Europe. Someone even criticizes her at the same time for two opposite reasons: we don't like her because she's dominant and we don't like her because she's reluctant… Maybe it's better to agree with yourself first. The best line for the Germans and for the Europeans is that of a responsibility equal to the weight of Germany and its central and crucial position in Europe and at the same time attentive to the needs for solidarity and cohesion within the EU. I think that the new German government should move on this basis, naturally to be translated into concrete acts that we will verify".
We come to the pandemic. In the meantime, I would like to know your opinion on how it was managed in Germany. And then, speaking of the Europeans of Next Generation Eu, who entrust Germany with 28 billion euros to accompany it out of the pandemic, all destined by the German government for the ecological transition and digitization: did this issue have any weight in the electoral debate? Or did others prevail? And again on electoral issues: foreign policy was the great absentee. Normal in your opinion?
“The management of the pandemic has also had ups and downs there, in particular with some too much friction between the federal government and the Länder. In general, however, things went quite well, both in the first emergency phase and after, thanks also to a structured health system, capable of stemming the initial wave well. As for the Next Generation EU funds, the electoral campaign was especially concentrated on the much-felt theme of the ecological transition, its modalities and its costs. Foreign policy effectively remained in the background, but on Thursday evening in the last pre-election confrontation, the leaders also touched on international current affairs”.
Finally, President: what is the state of relations between Germany and our country at the moment? And what role does the Center that you direct play in weaving the relationships that bind them?
“Relations are very close, the economies integrated, the political dialogue intense. Germany is our first partner in Europe, yet there is still a lot of room to strengthen the relationship. Villa Vigoni, the Italian-German center for European dialogue, which I have the honor of presiding over, is an original tool, being completely bi-national from the point of view of direction and management. We are not a research centre, we are a platform for meetings, knowledge exchange and collaborative initiatives between Italy and Germany in the academic, political and economic fields. And we look forward to the advantages that the further synergy between our two countries can produce not only bilaterally but also on a European level: an important objective, for which we will continue to work with commitment and enthusiasm”.
