Italy’s new minister for community policies and the president of the constitutional affairs commission of the European Parliament dialogue on the reform of the Union A face to face on the “future of Europe” was held between Italy’s newly appointed minister for community policies, Rocco Buttiglione, and the president of the constitutional affairs commission of the European Parliament, Giorgio Napolitano, both European members of parliament but on the opposite sides of the political fence. The occasion for the meeting was offered by the presentation of a book by Cristiano Zagari, L’Europa e l’era nomade, held in the Office for Italy of the European Parliament in Rome. “ Europe must become more transparent and more legitimate from the democratic viewpoint not only in posters and slogans“, affirms Giorgio Napolitano. “Europe – he adds – must be more democratic”. Buttiglione agrees about the objective of greater democracy, but suggests “ that a Chamber of nations, expression of national sovereignties, be established” and “the existing European Council be transformed into a collective presidency of Europe“. In Buttiglione’s view it is necessary also to “work for an alliance between Commission and Parliament”, rationalize the growing bureaucracy of Brussels, and enlarge the fields in which the control of Parliament can be extended. In Napolitano’s view, however, “the argument about the bureaucracy of Brussels tends to debase the role of the one supranational institution of the EU, namely the Commission itself”. Of course, he points out, the powers of the European Parliament have been progressively extended, but that’s still not enough: “The European Parliament – affirms the president of the EU’s constitutional affairs commission – is an essential source of the process of legitimizing the EU as Union of states and Union of peoples”. So “the relation between European Parliament and national parliaments needs to be developed” in support of the EU’s progress towards greater democracy. In Napolitano’s view, the institutional reform of the Union must move in a very clear direction: it must “start out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights to achieve the formulation of a real European Constitution”. But before drawing up any Constitution, it is essential, according to Buttiglione, to review the fundamental values on which we wish to construct Europe: “In the attempt to formulate an institutional proposal for Europe, we need – says Buttiglione – to place the harmonization and mutual recognition between States at the centre of the agenda”. Moreover, “the principle of subsidiarity must guide the reform of the competencies of the European institutions”. While discussion goes ahead on the institutional reform, the EU is faced by the imminent arrival of the single currency, the Euro, in twelve of the fifteen countries that compose the Union. Massimo Franco, correspondent of “Panorama” and editorialist of “Avvenire” recalls the conclusions reached by the experts who have already studied the possible impact of the new currency on the European populations: “The arrival of the Euro – says Massimo Franco citing the research in question – may cause a ‘monetary maladjustment’ in at least 18 million Italians and 80 million European who will, it is predicted, experience major problems in coming to terms with the new currency'”. On the other hand, Franco points out, “money isn’t any old object: it is the language with which the relation between the citizen and the State is expressed”. “I am and continue to be a ‘euroenthusiast’ – replies Buttiglione – and would like to spread this enthusiasm to those who are not. We must explain to people that participating in the processes of integration, beginning with the Euro, will give us greater sovereignty. It’s not true that it will remove sovereignty from us. Participating in the process of European integration is the condition for remaining sovereign, and for controlling globalization”. To explain all this, in Buttiglione’s view, the campaigns of communication between the EU and citizens need to be stepped up. Then there is the issue of the enlargement of the EU to the countries of Eastern Europe, from fifteen to twenty-seven countries. To ward off this prospect the citizens of Ireland rejected the Treaty of Nice which lays down the procedures for its implementation. According to Napolitano, on the other hand, “enlargement is a great opportunity. Its historical value consists in the possibility, for the first time, of unifying Europe in peace and democracy”. Buttiglione too says he is favourable to enlargement, because – he says – “it is the first concrete way of defeating the mentality of the rich who barricade themselves at home. Affluence is best defended by extending it to others”. In Buttiglione’s view the Irish referendum on the Treaty of Nice is “an alarm bell”: perhaps the ranks of the “eurosceptics” are larger than thought: “I don’t know whether in other countries we would have achieved better results, because unfortunately the ideal, moral and cultural sense of the Union has been lost”. This is the main aspect on which we need to work in the long term, he concludes. Ignazio Ingrao
