Punto stampa di Giorgia Meloni. Riunione informale Capi di Stato o di governo del Consiglio europeo

I think that Europe needs to find a balance and take measures on its own. Because it seems that we are discovering debates today. I'm thinking about competitiveness, I'm thinking about the issue of taxes, but I remember that the debate on European competitiveness, a debate that started months ago, had an impact the day after the Inflation Reduction Act, that is, the important plan of state aid that the Biden administration put in place to protect the American economy, which was at risk of creating an imbalance with European attractiveness. And so, in my opinion, in the end, the debate is always, let's say, if I could do it with a joke, that reminds the American presidents, don't ask yourself what the United States can do for you, ask yourself what Europe must do for itself. This is the debate of this morning, which is a particularly important debate, starting, as you know, from the proposal, from the plan presented by Mario Draghi, another Italian who was in charge of identifying the priorities for the next years of the European Union. I think there are many challenges. More or less we know what we have to do. The big question we have to answer now is if we really want to give the tools to the member states to center the objectives, the strategies that we put in front of us. And on all, the issue of resources is certainly the issue that must be addressed, because we know that the necessary investments to do all the things that we would like to do are many. And so this is, in my opinion, the real debate, which I don't know if, let's say, this morning will come to concrete solutions, because they are always very long debates, but it is the central element on which I intend to focus. It's a good question. Let's start with the assumption that, as you know, I am absolutely convinced that Europe, and therefore also Italy, must be able to guarantee their greater independence, their greater autonomy, even by investing more in defense. Clearly, the tools are needed to be able to do this. This is a big debate, as you know, regarding the stability pact that Italy has put in place. There is a lot more to be done in the new opening pact, in my opinion. And so I think this is another of those debates that will have to be reopened sooner or later, because even here, I repeat, beyond the will, there is what can be done. Resources must be identified in some way. The only thing that I am not willing to do, obviously, is to take it from the Italian citizens, the workers. As you know, we spend resources on priorities that are real, we don't throw money out the window, and so where new resources must be found for strategic choices that I share, it is also necessary to say how to help Member States to find those resources. Look, we have always worked for peace. This is correct. After all, as I have explained many times, from my point of view, to build peace, it was necessary to prevent an invasion. Today, if we talk about the possibility that, in short, it goes as we all hope and as we all have worked for it to happen towards a scenario of, let's say, peace, it is because the Ukrainians have had extraordinary courage and because the West has supported Ukraine. And so I think that this is the element that makes the difference. After that, obviously, we will see how the scenario evolves in the next few weeks, but I reiterate that, in short, as long as there is a war, Italy will be on the side of Ukraine. Yesterday, Elie Schlein said that he does not want to delegitimize the trade unions. Well, no. Yesterday, Elie Schlein said that I, as the word was, I do not remember, in short, I violate trade union rights, because it is a radio broadcast, let's say, light, I replied to an SMS in a light way saying that I did not feel well, but I was still doing my job, because, as you understand very well, here there is no one who can replace me in this sense. Clearly, I mentioned the issue of trade union rights, I am sorry that even on this you can make a controversy on a completely useless thing, I do not know what is meant by violating trade union rights, that this government defends much better than the left wing, but I know that I am used to doing my job, even when I am not in the best shape, because the commitment I have taken to the Italians. And I hope that the left, sooner or later, some serious issue on which to do politics with this government, waiting to find an identity that allows them to stand by the citizens. I do not know what exactly is meant by political commitment, surely a person who has lined up in the election campaign of Donald Trump, as thousands of other people lined up in the American election campaign, it seems to me that it is in the right of the citizens to join the election campaigns. After that, I can tell you that I consider, as you know, Elon Musk, an added value in this time, a person who has certainly done extraordinary things, important things, and I think that he must and can be an interlocutor, a person with whom to confront. But what is it? Elon Musk asks me this, I'm sorry, I do not know, I have no idea, and it does not seem to me such a relevant issue, it is his choice. Yesterday, the Albanian protocol and immigration in general were not at the center of the debate of the European Council, it was discussed in the EPC, in the Commission on Migration, of which I was part. There is still an extraordinary interest from our colleagues, an attention that I consider absolutely positive, and there was a bit of curiosity about all this debate about the issue of safe countries, because then, clearly, what happens in Italy also involves others. So there was a bit of concern about this issue, which according to some, the governments are not in a position to be able to define what a safe country is, and that by reading some sentences one risks facing a reality in which there are no safe countries, which, as I have said many times and as everyone understands, in fact compromises every possibility of governing immigration and of stopping mass illegal immigration. So yes, this is a part of the debate on which I find a lot of solidarity.