” “Closer to citizens” “

Italy’s Chamber of Deputies finally approved the Community Law 2001 in recent days. 58 EU directives thus enter into force under Italian law. However, for many of these directives, the bill delegates to the Government or to the Regions and autonomous Provinces the approval of the legislation aimed at the actual enforcement of the directives. We interviewed Italy’s Minister for EU Policies, Rocco Buttiglione , and asked him for his evaluation of this provision. What stage has Italy reached in the adaptation of its law to EU regulations? “We are in sixth place in the league table of the fifteen member states of the EU, but our aim is to reach first place. The approval of the community law undoubtedly represents a step forward in this direction, but it’s not enough. In fact, the bill we approved in the Chamber of Deputies a few days ago in large part delegates authority to the Government to make the necessary provision for the implementation of EU directives. We must now put pressure on the various ministries to exercise the authority delegated to them. In the meantime we have drafted community law 2002 which I am hoping to bring before the next Council of Ministers. We are taking steps to accelerate the process of adaptation”. Many of the proxy powers provided by the bill also delegate authority to the Regions and autonomous Provinces for the implementation of EU regulations. What does this entail? “We wish to respect the competence of the Regions in some fields, as established by the reform of Title V of the Constitution. To this end, our policy is to approve at the government level legislative provisions which will enter into force only once the deadlines fixed by the EU directive have expired. If the Regions approve their own legislation on the matter before the expiry of this deadline, the government provisions will not enter into force. It’s a system that enables us not only to respect regional autonomy, but also to prevent any legislative vacuum or failure to respect the deadlines imposed by the EU. It’s also a way of involving citizens more closely, even at the regional level, in the formulation of European legislation”. The various powers delegated to the Government by the community law also include the coordination of the existing legislation against discrimination on racial or ethnic grounds. What consequences will this have on Italy’s new law on immigration? “The EU directives on non-discrimination and equal opportunities are a great step forward from the point of view of the defence and promotion of the rights of the person, but they won’t have consequences for Italy’s law on immigration. We must always strive to safeguard respect for each individual human person and this implies respect for his/her culture, history and feelings. We must make further progress in this direction in our country. But it’s a question of intervening not so much on legislation as on custom and habit. We must promote an overall maturation of people’s customs, and the way they behave, to ensure they show respect for others and do not discriminate against them: it’s not enough to punish aberrant behaviour”. You’ve promoted the setting up of a task-force to monitor the European Convention which has begun its work. What principles and what values would you like to be taken into consideration in the debate on the future of Europe? “In the Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union the dignity of the human person is placed at the centre. In this respect, the Charter deserves appreciation. However, the same Charter fails adequately to acknowledge the fact that the person lives in a community, beginning with the family. The family is indeed mentioned in the Charter, but without a reference sufficiently strong and rooted in the nature of the human person. The Charter also fails to speak of the nation, which is the other great community in which the person grows and develops. Nor does it speak of the cultural roots of Europe”. Would you like the European Convention to embody a reference to the Christian roots of our continent in the new treaties or in a possible EU Constitution? “I think it would be a good thing if it were to do so. Of course, there aren’t only Christian roots. It would therefore be better to speak of ‘Jewish-Christian’ roots and also recall the great Graeco-Latin tradition of Europe. But in any case let’s avoid giving the impression that we are ashamed of our history and want Europe to be a tree without roots, merely an economic and not a cultural area”. Do you fear the Churches being marginalized from Europe? “I think the Churches must be listened to by the European Convention. Unfortunately I sometimes have the impression that at least a part of the European Parliament sees the religious phenomenon as a threat and not as a resource”. What do you think of the enlargement of the European Union to 27 countries? “I think enlargement is necessary. I also think that, more than a political fact, it is a moral and historic right of the countries concerned. We cannot forget that in the countries of central and eastern Europe the non-violent struggle against Communism was a struggle for freedom and for Europe. Nor can we forget that the citizens of those countries were excluded from European unity due to events for which they cannot be blamed. So they must enter into the Union, naturally on condition that they are able to do so, i.e. have fulfilled all the ‘chapters’ laid down by the membership procedure”. Ignazio Ingrao