«A recipe also shared with the opposition. Stability is for everyone and I remain optimistic»- Corriere.it

A marathon of meetings awaits you today, together with Prime Minister Meloni, with all the opposition groups to try to understand if it will be possible to find an agreement on the constitutional reform. But she says she is “confident” Maria Elisabetta Casellati, owner of the Reforms. And for this reason, unlike many of his colleagues, he prefers not to give ultimatums to his interlocutors, but to seek maximum collaboration: it is “premature”, he says, to announce that the government will take care of itself if the opposition does not cooperate.

What makes her confident?
«The fact that the time is now ripe. Constitutional reform cannot be a priority of the centre-right alone, but an obligatory choice for everyone, because in 75 years of republican history, our country has had 68 governments with an average duration of 14 months. Stability is therefore needed to make Italy more credible and more competitive in the world economy».

And is it necessary to change the government system?
«The possibility of entrepreneurship and therefore economic growth and market confidence, the planning of people’s lives, the virtuous relationship with all institutions, from universities to regions, depend on political stability. The future cannot be planned if the rules change continuously with a rapid succession of governments. And then we need to restore popular sovereignty to the citizens in the choice of the President of the Republic or the Prime Minister”.

Will he propose the premiership or semi-presidentialism?
«The theme is not simple. It is the great challenge of our country, but I love an aphorism that goes like this: “I don’t need it to be easy, I need it to be worth it”. And since I think it’s worth it, in this phase, instead of expressing preferences, I think it’s more correct to find the “point of fall”, the synthesis capable of leading to the maximum possible sharing. An open proposal to welcome all useful contributions, but within a limited perimeter. On the one hand the direct election of the President of the Republic or of the Council and on the other the guarantee of stability. An “Italian model” that does not necessarily have to coincide with models tested in other countries”.

You have already had a round of discussions in recent months: what emerged?
«The balance sheet was positive. The points of view of the parliamentary groups, both majority and minority, have enriched my field of investigation and have allowed me to draw “a first line” in the path towards reform. Now, however, we are at the halfway point».

Are you thinking of an ad hoc instrument like the Bicameral?
“I am not prejudicially opposed to the Bicameral, even if in the past it has always resulted in a stalemate, but I would prefer to use the instrument that the founding fathers have indicated to us, as a high road for constitutional amendments, in article 138 of the Constitution” .

Will you go ahead even without an agreement with the opposition?
«I remain optimistic about the possibility of finding a shared recipe, also due to President Meloni’s excellent initiative to dialogue with all the opposition. Today, therefore, an answer is premature.

And what time frame does it foresee?
“The goal is to respect the timetable by putting the reform in the pipeline before the summer, after having also heard the constitutionalists”.

And the electoral law?
“It is certainly an obligatory passage, but a consequence of the constitutional structures that we will give ourselves”.

What are the other topics on the agenda?
«The bureaucratization of the country. A regulatory “cleansing” activity that eliminates unnecessary steps, long times, interpretative uncertainties, which will thus make citizens’ lives easier and will have important effects on the economy. In this direction, for example, I am making memoranda of understanding with all the Regions and I am working on the repeal of over 20,000 royal decrees, from 1861 to 1946, which have exhausted their juridical effects”.

He attended the FI convention: with a Berlusconi forcibly out of the way, what will happen to the party?
«The problem does not arise at all. The president is far from out of the way; even from the hospital he never stopped working and at the convention he confirmed his active role at the helm of FI ».

Do you think further changes at the top of FI are necessary?
«I believe that these internal dynamics are of little or no interest to citizens. However, I can say that FI, with the exception of Berlusconi’s leadership, which obviously no one dreams of touching, is a party that is very open to change. The president himself has always taken it upon himself to involve everyone and to guarantee a continuous expansion and renewal of the management team».

Are you in favor of a centre-right single party?
«It is a perspective that Berlusconi has been pointing to for years. Of course, it’s a process that takes time.”

Is FI exposed to operations at the core?
«FI has always expressed the only possible centre, the only coherent expression of liberal, Christian, guarantor, pro-European and Atlanticist principles. He represents the EPP in Italy. That’s why it’s a point of reference.”

The Political Diary newsletter

If you want to stay updated on political news, subscribe to the newsletter “Political Diary”. It is dedicated to Corriere della Sera subscribers and arrives twice a week at 6pm. Just click here.