The President of the Italian Council of Ministers, Mario Draghi, spoke today for the first time in his career at the plenary assembly of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where he spoke about the scenarios resulting from the Russian-Ukrainian war and the role that Italy is having and intends to have in the near future. 

"The war in Ukraine puts the European Union in front of one of the most serious crises in its history. A crisis that is at the same time humanitarian, security, energy and economic. Italy, as a founding country of the European Union, which believes deeply in peace, is ready to engage in the forefront to reach a diplomatic solution". 

"The aggression of Ukraine by Russia -Draghi said- has called into question the European Union's greatest achievement: peace on our continent, based on respect for territorial borders, the state of law, democratic sovereignty, and the use of diplomacy to resolve disputes between states". 

"We need a pragmatic federalism, encompassing all areas affected by the current transformations: from the economy, to energy, to security". "The full integration of countries with European aspirations is not a threat but part of the realization of the European project. Italy supports the immediate opening of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. We want to give new impetus to negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro, and ensure maximum attention to the legitimate expectations of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo".

With a view to greater integration, Draghi concludes, "it is appropriate to convene a conference to rationalize and optimize investment in military spending. In addition, the construction of a common defense must be accompanied by a unified foreign policy, and effective decision-making mechanisms".