EM Italy congress on “Federal Europe, the only way out?”, 22 June 2012, Rome

On June 22nd, a Congress named “Federal Europe, the only way out?” took place in Rome at the Italian Senate. The event is the result of the collaboration between the Senate, the Radical Party, the European Council of Foreign Relations and the Italian Council of the European Movement, following the May 9th call “For a federalism of necessity”.

The opening was made by Emma Bonino, Senate vice-president, who defined the key-word of the entire meeting: federalism. In the first round table was dedicated to the enterprises proposals for  federal Europe. Laurence Parisot (MEDEF), Giorgio Squinzi (Confindustria) and Markus Kerber (BDI) reaffirmed their organisations’ commitment in favour of the European integration and the necessity to achieve it. Steven Heinz (Lansdowne Partners Ltd) did the same and then Antonion Tajani, European Commission vice-president, concluded this first part with a passionate defence of the United States of Europe, for him, the objective to reach.

The second part of the congress was dedicated to European institutional politics. On this subject, spoke Enzo Moavero Milanesi, European Affairs Minister of Italy, Giuliano Amato, former Italian PM, Inglolf Pernice, constitutionalist form the Humbold University of Berlin, Thomas Klau, director of the ECFR of Paris, Sandro Gozi, MP Pd, Ìñigo Méndez de Vigo, Spain State Secretary for the EU.

All of them insisted on the urgent need there is to remove the question mark from the congress title and moreover on the role that Italy has to play as instigator and mediator.

In his conclusion Romano Prodi, former Italian PM and president of the EU Commission, said, according to him, “The decisive moment has come, it’s time to say yes or no to federalism. I think no country can do it by itself”.

Contact details and more information:

Pierre Degonde
Consiglio Italiano del Movimento Europeo - C.I.M.E.
Piazza della Libertà, 13 - 00192 Roma
tel. - fax 0636001742 - 0636001705

E-Mail: info(at)movimentoeuropeo.it