Long applause and standing ovations for Mario Draghi 's speech at the Cl meeting in Rimini .
"Thank you Mario, long live Draghi", the words with which the people waiting greeted the president on his arrival in the room. Outside the Rimini Fair, many people, lined up to enter the fair, did not fail to express their appreciation with long claps .
The Prime Minister had already taken the stage of the Meeting in 2009, when he held the office of Governor of the Bank of Italy and, more recently, in 2020, his mandate as President of the ECB just expired.
YOUNG PEOPLE - And his first thought went above all to young people : "Live politics above all as a testimony of a life consistent with ideals, hope, fight and build. You young people are the hope of politics", he said.
THE POLITICAL SITUATION - So a reference to the political situation: "Even today we are in an extremely complex moment for Italy and the EU, with the geopolitical situation in rapid transformation with the return of the war and tensions over Taiwan. The economic situation is marked by profound uncertainty "and inflation" weighs heavily on the balance sheets of households and businesses ". "We seemed to be heading towards a slow and uncertain recovery - he continued - 18 months later we can say that it did not happen: the Italians reacted with courage and concreteness and rewrote a story that seemed already decided . Together we have shown that the Italy is a great country that has everything it takes to overcome the difficulties that history puts before us ".
"In a few weeks the Italians will choose the new parliament. I invite you all to go and vote ", he then specified.
"I am convinced that the next government , of whatever color it will be - he clarified - will be able to overcome the difficulties that seem insurmountable: Italy will make it this time too".
"I hope that whoever has the privilege" of going to government "will be able to represent the republican spirit that has animated our executive from the beginning", he added.
DEAR ENERGY - So a reference to the costs of gas that "have reached unsustainable levels" with "peaks" more "than 10 times" compared to the "historical value. We have pushed a lot at EU level for a cap on the price of gas. Some countries continue to oppose because they fear supply blocks ". But the "limits of this position" are evident. "The EU finds itself with uncertain supplies and increased costs. A proposal from the commission will be presented at the next European Council".
INTERNATIONAL CREDIBILITY - " Internal credibility - he added - must go hand in hand with international credibility. Italy is the founding country of the EU, protagonist of the G7 and NATO". "Protectionism and isolationism do not coincide with our national interest" he further specified, recalling that "from the autarchic illusions of the last century to the sovereign impulses, Italy has never been strong when it has decided to go it alone . The place of Italy is. at the center of the European Union, anchored to the Atlantic pact, to the values of democracy, freedom and progress that are in the history of our Republic ".
THE WAR - As for the war in Ukraine, in addition to the renewed firm condemnation of the Russian aggression, Draghi also recalled the extremely delicate situation around Zaporizhzhia. "I can only associate myself with the words of the Holy Father: avoid a nuclear disaster", he said.
INTERNAL COHESION - "Our internal and external credibility has greatly benefited from the cohesion that we have all been able to demonstrate in the face of adversity" he continued, underlining that "this cohesion will have a different declination" after the end of national unity but "the dialogue between forces policies is also necessary in the clash between different positions, cohesion must be found in the common feeling of all the protagonists in their sense of belonging to the republic and to the ideals of the EU ".
(Unioneonline / vl)