«Does Conte sign the question on Ukraine? Foreign policy is not done like this. In the Democratic Party I want to guarantee everyone»- Corriere.it

Stefano Bonaccini, we are at the scheme: fascists-anti-fascists? So far it hasn’t been good for the Democratic Party…
We are on the eve of April 25, National Day of Liberation from Nazi-Fascism. Whoever governs the country cannot be distant from the values ​​of freedom and anti-fascism on which our Constitution is based, or call them into question. Nor can history be rewritten, especially if institutional roles are held. I have no prejudices, I measure words and behavior and repeat again: Giorgia Meloni has a problem in her party. It’s up to her to fix it. We will be in the squares to celebrate an anniversary that should unite all Italians.

The Democratic Party takes to the streets on public health, but battles are won in Parliament. How do you intend to move?
The lack of resources for public health is bringing all the regions to their knees and with them the national health system. I am sure that an extraordinary mobilization in the country would also speak to many who voted to the right, but who ask that the universal right to health be guaranteed. And I am convinced that even in Parliament the government would have difficulty not responding to this priority, if pressed with serious proposals. As Regions we are moving together: we need to invest in public health, not cut.

Catholics complain that they are no longer represented in the Democratic Party.
Democratic Catholicism is a constitutive and therefore essential component of our party, without which the Democratic Party would no longer be the Democratic Party. This is not a minority to be protected, but a vital component of the Democratic Party, which must be fully involved in the discussion and in the path that leads us to a bigger and stronger party. As president of the Democratic Party, I feel committed to guaranteeing everyone maximum usability and I am sure that the first to feel this responsibility is precisely the secretary Schlein.

The government wants to cut the tax wedge, are you in the Democratic Party in favor?
It seems to me a government without a compass. One day the flat tax, the day after the tax wedge, and moreover the new cut will apply until December, then we don’t know if it will be confirmed, yet another the reduction in taxes for those who have children. They live for the day. A significant and structural cut in labor costs is needed to have higher payrolls and an advantage for companies that hire on a stable basis. this is the clear choice to be made, not to disperse resources in a thousand streams as they did with this year’s budget, where no one noticed any benefit. Just ask people if wages have gone up or prices have gone down.

Does the Pd say yes to the waste-to-energy plant in Rome and no to other similar plants in the future?
The alternative to Rome’s waste-to-energy plant is new landfills, waste taken in thousands of trucks to other parts of the country and in Europe and rubbish that remains accumulated on the streets. Of course, the objective on which to push to the maximum the containment of waste, the good differentiated collection, the circular economy. The Pnrr is also this, so it is essential not to lose those resources. Well before the waste-to-energy plants, Italy must overcome landfills, where by 2035 less than 10% of waste will have to be conferred. Emilia-Romagna is already below 2% today, has exceeded 73% of separate waste collection and has the short-term goal of reaching 80%. And in the meantime we have already shut down the first waste-to-energy plant. We need an effective governance of the waste cycle, in fact. That what Gualtieri is trying to do in Rome, finally, after years of ideology and inaction.

The Democratic Party wants to ally with the M5S. But if you were now in government with Conte, the executive would not have a line on Ukraine, given that the former prime minister will sign the referendum against sending arms to Kiev…
The foreign policy of a large country is not made with referendums. However, no one is as divided on Ukraine as the right: it is hardly necessary to recall Salvini’s positions or Berlusconi’s outbursts, to whom I wish him all the best for his health. But with the M5S we also have important points of convergence, from the defense of health care and public schools to the fight against precariousness.

Should the target of 2 per cent of GDP for military spending be reviewed, as Elly Schlein claims?
I think that the primary objective, also in this sphere, is that of European integration, in order to spend better and count more on the international scene. One cannot complain about the omnipresence of the United States and the absence of the European Union and then leave all burdens and responsibilities to the former and the latter without a voice and tools, starting with a common foreign policy and army.