«The third installment should arrive by the end of the month, but the real challenge is later»- Corriere.it

It does not fear a disintegration, a fraying determined by the disaffection of public opinion “proven” by the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine. Paul GentiloniEuropean Commissioner for the Economy, flaunts optimism about the fate of Europe, while not hiding the problems and great challenges aheadespecially Italy, in the decisive match of
Next Generation Eu

. In an all-round dialogue with the director of Corriere della Sera
Luciano Fontanaduring the debate The Europe of freedoms which took place at Taobuk in Taormina, the former prime minister addressed crucial issues such as the role of Europe in the conflict that erupted after the Russian invasion of Ukrainethe need for a common defense policy of the Member States, the historic opportunity of the Next Generation Eu on which the fate of the old continent will depend.

Responding to the director of the Corriere della Sera on the risk that the the continuation of the war in Ukraine could shake the stability of public opinion Gentiloni showed himself optimistic about the intransigence of the line to be followed and therefore also about the stability of the Union itself. «I see no risk – he said -. The European response has been extraordinary. The governments, albeit with different nuances, and the majority of citizens understood that the invaders could not win because it would have been devastating from the point of view of the geopolitical balance”. That is, a difficult balance was struck between support for the Ukrainian resistance and the awareness that direct military intervention was impossible. A very different attitude from the one that Europe had had during the invasion of the Crimea and which Gentiloni defined as “not up to the risk”.

Indeed, according to the European Commissioner, there is a new awareness of the need for a common European defence in the face of a changed horizon of US interests, increasingly concentrated on the Pacific area. “If we don’t think about strategic autonomy, in the next 5-10 years we risk finding our freedoms threatened,” he warned.

But the central part of the face-to-face between Fontana and Gentiloni concerned the economic policy of the Union compared to the Next Generation Eu «extraordinary opportunity for the future» , the revision of the stability pact and growth and the risk of a return to austerity policy which has caused so many divisions. “In April 2020, the European economy reached its lowest point with a 20% decline. – he said -. For years there has been talk of the need for a Marshall Plan worth 180 billion. The Pnrr it is worth 800 and this must give a sense of the enormity of the instrument we have». A historic measure that translates concretely into investments that improve the country’s competitiveness, such as the much-heralded and never-realized high-speed train in Sicily, cited as an example by the former prime minister, and which, therefore, cannot fail. “Because if it doesn’t work in Italy, it doesn’t work in Europe”. And so, for Gentiloni, giving up is not admissible. «Don’t think that in Brussels there are rigidities on project modifications – he explains -. It is not true that there is a notarial attitude, the willingness shown towards Estonia is proof of this ». But the adjustments must be done well and quickly. The problem, therefore, Gentiloni has repeatedly stressed, is not the third installment that will arrive by the end of the month, but the future challenges awaiting Italy.

To Fontana who feared the risk of a return to the rigidity of the past on the containment of state debt, the commissioner illustrated his proposal to reform the stability and growth pact. “It has been criticized by both penalty takers and non-penalty takers, this has led theEconomist to consider it balanced,” he commented. «If we make the dynamics of debt reduction gradual, we are making it a serious matter. – has explained -. If we continue to insert unattainable and unfeasible common thresholds, we run the risk that the debt will continue to rise and this leaves little room for what is needed: that is, investments and growth”.

In the long exchange the last words were reserved to the assets of the Brussels Parliament after the vote of the European elections and the consequences of the sappearance of Silvio Berlusconi
on Italian politics. Gentiloni does not believe in turnarounds. At the very least to new accessions of individual parties. And on the former prime minister: “his role – he observed – without taking anything away from the symbolic value of his death, has already been no longer what it used to be for years”.

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