"Our security is today put into question by the change in foreign policy of our major ally towards Russia which, with the invasion of Ukraine, has demonstrated that it is a concrete threat to the European Union."

Mario Draghi, special advisor to the President of the EU Commission, former Prime Minister and President of the ECB, presents his report to Parliament: «The directions of the new administration have dramatically   entity reduced the time   available - Draghi said - Europe is today more alone in international forums".

For this reason, we need a "common defense of Europe", "an obligatory step to make the best use of the technologies that will have to guarantee our security". A process in which "the narrow budget spaces will not allow some countries significant expansions of the deficit" and therefore "the recourse to common debt is the only way".

"When the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, asked me to draft a Competitiveness Report, the delays accumulated by the Union already seemed worrying - he emphasized - The European Union has guaranteed its citizens peace, prosperity, solidarity and, together with the American ally, security, sovereignty and independence for decades. These are the founding values of our European society. These values are now being called into question. Our prosperity, already threatened by low growth for many years, was based on an order of international and commercial relations that is now being disrupted by the protectionist policies of our major partner. The duties, tariffs and other commercial policies that have been announced will have a strong impact on Italian and European companies".

Europe is now more alone in international forums, as has recently happened at the United Nations, and is wondering who will defend its borders in the event of external aggression – and by what means. Europe should have fought the stagnation of its economy and taken greater responsibility for its own defense in the presence of a lesser American commitment that has been announced for some time. But the directions of the new administration have dramatically reduced the time available. Let us hope that they will push us with equal energy to address the political and institutional complexities that have so far delayed our action».