The growth prospects of Europe and Italy and international current events: these are the issues that the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, addressed in the message sent on the occasion of the Forum organized by The European House – Ambrosetti, in Cernobbio.
“Complex historical juncture”
“The historical moment we are living in – observed Mattarella – appears complex and characterized by a transition phase which, while declaring the existing equilibrium no longer current, does not seem committed to building a new one, limiting itself – often with a look at past seasons that no longer exist – to question the values on which national societies have built their present. On the one hand, the list of global challenges whose solution requires greater cooperation between States is suddenly expanding – from climate change, to pandemic health crises, from the availability of energy, food and water resources, to the impact of Artificial Intelligence. On the other hand, a predatory claim on existing resources – material and immaterial – is once again appearing with a worrying tendency to restore power policies, with the threat, if not the use, of force, to support one’s claims in the resolution of international disputes.
The concept of security of some would thus come at the expense of that of others, with a coercive vision of interdependence, which takes us back to colonial eras, pushing the history of human civilization backwards. Growing pressure on the multilateral order – created in the last century driven by the horrors of the Second World War – for the benefit of short-term logics, archives the great benefits that this has brought in terms of pacification, independence, economic and social emancipation of vast portions of the world”.
For the Head of State, “if we look at the prospects of the near future and the signs that cause greater concern in terms of instability or conflict, it is a widely held opinion that precisely at the moment in which the stability and effectiveness of this order become most necessary, it today appears threatened and put to the test in its rules and practices. Yet, it is hardly necessary to remember the human, political, economic and social costs of disorder, of conflict, of war.
An analysis of these would be enough to conclude that power politics and conflicts are manifestations of a vision of the future rather than authentic planning, and that they do not bring any authentic benefit to either the presumed winners or the losers.
Safeguard an international order respectful of the dignity of individuals and peoples, urges a rapid examination of the necessary conditions for reform and adaptation to contemporary reality, radically different from the conditions of the post-war years, to make it more adequate and effective”.
“EU, example of sharing sovereignty”
“The European Union – said Mattarella – still constitutes the most striking manifestation in the world of sharing of sovereignty, supported by common values, capable of ensuring widespread peace, rights and prosperity for a group of states, accustomed to fighting each other for centuries. His successes are indisputable – and for this reason, sometimes envied and opposed – like its attractiveness, which is still intense and vital. Its vocation to project partnerships based on mutual benefit outwards, starting from the economic and commercial one, with different interlocutors, is experiencing an expansion and is well demonstrated by the number of free trade agreements recently signed with states and associations of states on every continent. Of this model of cooperative international relations, alternative to the logic of the strongest or robbery profit as the only parameter, we must be proud: as in all strategic areas where the Union intervenes, it is in fact the person who is put at the centre.
This basic choice has meant that the EU has been able to build an ambitious and advanced continental projectattentive to the dimensions of social inclusion, environmental protection, combined with economic growth. The European Union – underlined the President of the Republic – far from thinking of giving up its values, appears more urgent than ever to affirm standards of liveability for the people of the entire planet. Its contribution to a fair and shared international order is precious and, on this terrain, Europe must know how to play by taking initiatives rather than settling on mere defense modules.
The necessary and urgent changes in the functioning of its institutions, in the composition, in the timeliness of decisions, in priorities, are essential to affirm the will expressed by the sovereignty of the peoples who gather there. The civil societies of the various countries, the business system, know that they have a special responsibility and a role in allowing the Union to be relevant, to have its own identity, to continue to represent a virtuous model to inspire international relations. The current international context does not allow for delay. A clear path of action is needed to ensure that methods of peaceful coexistence return to prevail within the Community of States in a shared and respected legal and institutional framework. In the absence of this assumption, they are the very prospects of a world economy have been put to the test prosperous and in constant and lasting growth”, concluded Mattarella.