ROME (ITALPRESS) – “More than tariffs, I am concerned about the choices Trump will make on Ukraine. How the story that began with the Russian attack will end is important for international balances, but it is decisive for Europe. If there is one issue on which we must be united and demanding of our American allies, it is support for Kiev, the only way to create the conditions for a just peace. A negative outcome, effectively recognizing Putin’s abuse of power, would jeopardize peace in Europe for the next ten or twenty years.” Thus, in an interview with Corriere della Sera, a day after emptying his office at the Berlaymont, Paolo Gentiloni, who is ending his five-year term as European Commissioner for the Economy. “Europe,” he says, “has never been so fragile, but it has never been so necessary. So we need to roll up our sleeves. We need a shot in the arm, a powerhouse Europe. The risk is that a small Europe will struggle to survive. The outgoing Commission did good things, in some cases miracles like in the face of pandemic and war. But the world goes so fast, we need new ones. Otherwise our extraordinary model, which the world envies us, is in question: universal services, freedom, rule of law, longevity, culture.” According to Gentiloni, what we have built so far is also at risk, “because it would not only be our sovereignty that would be compromised, but also our values. It would be difficult to hold everything together and painful renunciations would have to be made. Threats of war and competition in the markets tell us that there is no place for the status quo.” “The context,” he explains, “charges Ursula von der Leyen and her college with an extraordinary responsibility. Fragility is the dominant political fact in many member countries. But it should not be an alibi, it can instead be an opportunity for the new Commission to take the initiative without waiting for future political developments. It is clear that there is also a strengthening of particularisms and nationalisms, Romania being the latest. But one has to be clear about where one stands. For example, I think the PD was right to vote for the Commission together with the European Socialists. All the more so after the wake-up call given by the election of Donald Trump.” “I do not ignore,” he adds, “the fact that Trump may try to interject directly with EU governments. But I have confidence in the European response. Trade relations are the sole responsibility of the Commission, and I think a trade war can be avoided, both because it would also be harmful to the U.S. economy, in terms of inflation, and because, after all the talk about the need to be united in the face of China, it would be a gift precisely to Beijing.””I think that the new president should move very quickly toward the proposal of new extraordinary funds financed by Eurobonds,” Gentiloni says. “And the first one should be precisely the one on defense: there are the conditions to have a large majority of favorable countries, not only those of the South, but also Poland, the Nordics, the Baltics. The new president of the European Council, António Costa, can facilitate consensus among governments.” “These are not operations of a few tens of billions,” he explains. “Until 2019, the Commission issued bonds for a hundred million, from 2021 it collects between 100 and 120 billion euros a year. We financed a mechanism like SURE, 100 billion to support layoffs in 19 countries. We prevented mass layoffs and have since had 8 million new jobs. And then the Next Generation Eu, about 650 billion. Many people forget that support for Ukraine, where we put more money than the U.S., comes largely from funds raised in the markets, which expect these issues to be replicated. On defense we spend a lot, but we spend badly, each on its own and buying mostly non-European systems. An extraordinary fund would make the common defense, which we have been talking about for 25 years, take a historic leap.” Regarding other funds financed by Eurobonds, “the Commission, based on the indications of the Draghi and Letta reports, should launch one for competitiveness,” Gentiloni continued. “We are not competitive with the U.S. and China at the level of medium and large technology companies, even though we have all the cards in order: universities, research centers, scientists, even with very advanced tips such as robotics and quantum computers. When something comes to fruition at the enterprise level, the tendency to move abroad, especially to the U.S., is very strong. “Then, regarding criticism of Von der Leyen for concessions made to the more moderate right, that of Giorgia Meloni who then voted for her, he says, “No one can say that there has been a sovereignist conversion of von der Leyen. Her inspiration remains pro-European. That Meloni decided to support her is certainly a positive thing, then we will see in the coming months the developments. However, there is no hiding the political difficulties: on the one hand, everyone recognizes that we would need a stronger Europe; on the other hand, there is a new right-wing sovereignist push accompanied by the proliferation of national particularisms. von der Leyen missed as many votes from his populars as from the socialists. I say that today it is necessary to bring out a European patriotism. This is not a marginal game, a mere appendage of domestic political debate. We are lucky to be European, and it is necessary to clearly choose the side you are on.” And when asked what he will do now, he replied, “I would like to continue to lend a hand to the European project, especially in relations with the global South. And then I will of course also try to lend a hand in Italy, in my party and in the center-left, to help mature a governing alternative. There is still a long way to go for a credible alternative.” “There remains a greater awareness that a stronger Europe is possible despite everything,” he adds. “When I say ‘European patriotism,’ I think of the fact that we should be more optimistic. We often and willingly talk about our problems and fragilities, but it’s hard to hear about Americans or the Chinese doing that. They too have their critical issues, but we too have many reasons to be proud and positive. We are lucky to be Europeans and we should not forget that.”- Photo Agency Photogram -(ITALPRESS).
