ROME – Italy’s new prime minister, Mario Draghi, on Wednesday called for unity and sacrifice as the country moves forward with vaccinations, trying to use a $ 240 billion European emergency package to boost the economy and the persistent to address inequalities.
In his first speech as head of government, Mr. Draghi addressed the Italian Senate for an hour through a white mask before trusting for a broad unity government he would surely win. A former head of the European Central Bank, he whispers every time the bank president delivers an economic outlook, saying his government ‘has the possibility, or rather the responsibility, to start a new reconstruction’ after the traumatic battle of the pandemic.
He articulated Italy’s existential challenges, which he called the worst since World War II. But he also set out a vision for ambitious fiscal and bureaucratic overhauls, reaffirming the country’s commitment to a central role in a more integrated European Union.
In a speech that was largely without politics, he offered the populist forces in his government one sharp setback after one of their leaders raised doubts about Italy’s commitment to stay in the eurozone. In the last decade, Italy’s populists have become partly popular by questioning whether the country will benefit from the European currency, or whether it will be better off without the economic constraints that go along with it.
“The support of this government means that the irreversibility of the choice of the euro is endorsed,” he said. Draghi said a clear response to Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Nationalist League Party, who said on Tuesday that only death was “irreversible.”
The new prime minister said that the support of his government ‘means that he must share the perspective of an ever closer European Union’, while alongside a cabinet member of Mr. Salvini’s party is sitting, accusing the European Union of interfering in Italy’s affairs.
Mr. Draghi testifies to his predecessor, Giuseppe Conte, whose government fell last month. The mention of the name of mr. Conte gave rise to both applause and cheers, and Mr. Draghi moved on quickly and made it clear that Italy is now on a new path.
He reaffirmed the country’s support for its Western allies in NATO, a reversal of previous governments that have clashed with more authoritarian leaders. He also called for closer cooperation with Germany and France, criticism of human rights violations in Russia and talked about tensions around China.
While the previous government has been criticized for what some see as a frivolous vision of flower-shaped pavilions as vaccination sites for coronavirus, Mr. Draghi said vaccinations should take place quickly and efficiently in every available public and private space, as any hope for the Italian economic pain and the guarantee of the country’s recovery and future depends on the initial defeat of the virus.
“The virus is everyone’s enemy,” he said.
More than anything, his speech called for action in an important year for the country, especially as a deadline expires at the end of April to present a plan to the European Union on how Italy intends to raise the more than 200 billion euros spend – about $ 240 billion – in Covid relief funds that the bloc has agreed to allocate.
A proponent of what he calls ‘good debt’ stresses Mr. Draghi the importance of investing that money in sectors that will move the country forward. He spoke of reducing economic inequality by investing in education and ambitious public works projects such as high-speed. He also envisioned new jobs, especially in Italy’s economically disadvantaged south.
“This is our mission as Italians: deliver a better and fairer country to our children and grandchildren,” he said. Draghi, 73, said and asked if his generation was willing to make the sacrifices “our grandparents and parents have done for us.”
The acceptance of mr. Draghi of a globalized world and his vision to make Italy more competitive served an explosion of oxygen for the pro-European Italians.
He called for the overhaul of the country’s tax code, bureaucracy and the glacial judiciary, which often trap cases in litigation and deter foreign investors. As required by the European Union, he has prioritized investments in digitalisation, green jobs and renewable energy.
He also addressed some of the open wounds of the Italian economy and society. He said the country should improve the prospects for talented young people who often pursue careers elsewhere, acknowledging that Italian women have ‘one of the worst wage gaps in Europe’ and ‘chronic scarcity’ in prominent management positions.
“Real gender equality does not mean a self-respect for the quotas for women required by law,” he said. Draghi said and asked for real equality in working conditions.
He now leads the country with the oldest population in Europe and stresses the need to improve social services for pregnant women and new mothers, saying that it is essential to ‘overcome the choice between family and work’, especially in the struggle of the country.
At certain points, Mr. Draghi left the figures and reform of blueprints behind for some linguistic blossoms. But he does not seem to speak the strong proverb, and sometimes it seems as if the attention is drifting around the room while the legislators murmur.
Mr. However, Draghi’s power is not in his charisma. It’s in his reputation as competence and getting things done.
He finally needed the support of parliament to do so, and he gathered some of the support on Wednesday when he said he did not buy the judges’ assessment of his arrival at the scene as a technocrat’s rescue of a Moribian political system. He said it was only the spirit of national unity and sacrifice of the country’s elected legislators that could help Italy.
“Today, unity is not an option – unity is a duty,” he said. Draghi concluded to a standing ovation. “But it’s a duty driven by what I know unites everyone: the love of Italy.”