10 September 2024

Draghi’s EU vision met with mixed reactions from Italian politicians

Political reactions following the publication of the Draghi report have been mixed in Italy, with Democratic Party MEP Giorgio Gori (S&D) suggesting that these reactions only serve to highlight the real “enemies of Europe”.

The report, drafted by former Italian prime minister and former ECB president Mario Draghi, has been met with praise and reservations.

“No one is denying the challenge of translating such radical suggestions into practice”, said Gori, acknowledging Draghi’s call for the European Union to take bold decisions, even changing its decision-making mechanisms.

The Italian lawmaker added that anything that hinders the creation of a cohesive, strong entity capable of making quick decisions and responding quickly must be addressed.

“It takes a great deal of courage, a political courage that may not be guaranteed within European institutions,” he said.

“This applies to the European Parliament, but even more so to the Commission and the Council, where national governments, including the ‘frugal’ ones on one side and right-wing governments on the other, wield greater influence than the Parliament,” he added.

While parties such as Gori’s Democratic Party (S&D), Forza Italia (EPP), Brothers of Italy (ECR), Action and Italia Viva (Renew) broadly agreed – albeit with different nuances – that Draghi’s proposals were a step in the right direction, Lega (Patriots for Europe) and the Five Star Movement (The Left) disagreed.

Gori pointed out that these are the same two parties that opposed Ursula von der Leyen and “share a past; they governed together at a certain point in Italy’s political history, and populism from both sides has certainly not been noted for its pro-European stance”.

Lega Senator Claudio Borghi said on X that every line of the report poses a “deadly threat” to Italy, accusing Draghi of wanting to make Italy “the next Greece out of revenge.”

Gori responded by criticising Lega’s broader political position, suggesting that it belonged to a European parliamentary group that did not fundamentally believe in European integration. He argued that the League’s vision is focused on the autonomy of individual nations.

“They evidently have not realised the direction the world is heading, the challenges we face, and how utterly inadequate individual states are in confronting those challenges”, Gori said, commenting on the far-right party’s stance.

Meanwhile, Pasquale Tridico, head of the Five Star Movement delegation to the European Parliament, took direct aim at Draghi. He argued that the former prime minister’s report amounted to self-criticism as it condemned the neoliberal policies that underpin the current European structure. Tridico questioned Draghi’s role in key EU decisions, particularly the reform of the Stability Pact, which he argued was incompatible with the kind of large-scale investment in innovation and green transition that Draghi now advocates.

Gori dismissed Tridico’s criticism as an attempt to attack Draghi personally for perceived contradictions.

“Precisely because there must be greater convergence among countries and greater mutual trust, which is the prerequisite for joint investments, the Stability Pact is a necessary condition. Everyone must be assured that no European partner will break the trust pact, as this forms the basis for making joint borrowing and investments,” he said.

Ultimately, Gori said he was confident that Draghi’s recommendations were right, although he expressed concern about whether the EU could muster the political will to act. He stressed that these were not minor adjustments but substantial, bold decisions needed to address the severity of the challenges outlined in the report.

“Draghi warns that we risk the death of the European Union—not just that it will be slightly worse off. That’s the magnitude of the decisions we face. I hope that even those who have been more cautious, less willing to trust, will grasp the seriousness of the situation,” Gori concluded.

(Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)