“Support for Kiev is a non-negotiable value, I hope for a united Democratic Party today in Strasbourg”

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«Aid, including military aid, to Ukraine must remain a non-negotiable value, whoever is the secretary of the Democratic Party. International law cannot be made into waste paper. And the secretary Elly Schlein has clarified more than once that the line of the Democratic Party on this very important point has not changed and will not change ». From the MEP of the Pd Elizabeth Gualmini, one of the leading representatives of the Bonaccini minority, comes a prediction that is also a warning. Today the European Parliament votes the definitive go-ahead for the ASAP (Act in support of ammunition production), the measure proposed by Commissioner Thierry Breton to increase the European production capacity of war material to be sent to Ukraine with an allocation of 550 million. Last time, at the end of May, the Pd delegation in Strasbourg went in no particular order: 10 in favour, four abstentions and one against.

Mr Gualmini, will the Pd be united on Ukraine this time?
It must be said that in all countries there is a division on issues like this that cuts across the parties, and a large and plural party like the Democratic Party is no exception. But I believe and hope that today in Strasbourg there will be a consolidation on the favorable vote, also because there have been various steps compared to the end of May. First of all – thanks to the extraordinary work carried out by the Portuguese socialist Carlos Zorrinho in the trilogue (informal negotiations between Parliament, the Council and the Commission, ed) – it was the reference to the possible use of EU cohesion funds for military expenditure has been eliminated and the possibility of derogations from working hours in arms manufacturing companies has been cancelled. There is only the possibility left, for the States that want it, to draw on the funds of the Pnrr. But on this point the secretary Schlein and the dem groups of the national Parliament have obtained a very important result with an agenda also voted by the majority which excludes the possibility for Italy to use the funds of the Pnrr.

It remains that in the Pd the “pacifist” positions seem to have been enhanced by Schlein, for example with the appointment of Paolo Ciani (Demos) as vice president of the Chamber group.
Personally, I’m not scandalized by Ciani’s appointment, a choice evidently aimed at giving representation to cultural and political worlds close to the Democratic Party. The important thing is that the pro-Ukraine party line does not change. This does not mean that it will soon be necessary to decide what role Europe wants to play: only a stronger EU, even militarily, can be authoritative in the peace process.

Was it a mistake on Secretary Schlein’s part to go to the M5 demonstration on June 17th?
No, participating in demonstrations is always legitimate. In my opinion, it would have been better to distance oneself from certain pro-Putin and anti-NATO arguments heard on stage, which are frankly unacceptable. In general, the Democratic Party must not chase after the M5s but rather strengthen itself and impose its agenda: only in this way can it become the pivot of the future alternative coalition to the right, and at that point the allies will follow us.

On the part of Schlein there seems to be an attempt to divide Carlo Calenda from Matteo Renzi to ally only with the former.
The mistake already made to policies would be repeated. The Democratic Party must build an alternative to the right by bringing together all the oppositions, without choosing, or we will not be competitive.