Coronavirus. Mattarella: "The EU has shown its driving force, has rediscovered the spirit of the founding fathers"

• The Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio.

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05 September 2020 "The crisis caused by the pandemic was a watershed for the EU that in a few months took courageous and innovative decisions. It had a harsh effect of recalling reality, making it clear to all citizens and governments that to entrench themselves in an alleged self-sufficiency it was not the answer against an aggressive enemy. The unstoppable expansion of the virus has shown how the dangers tend to be international and how therefore only multilateral collaboration is effective. "

This was stated by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella speaking on video at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio.

According to the Head of State, the EU "has shown its driving force, rediscovering the spirit of the founding fathers, basing itself on the foundations represented, on the merits, by values ​​such as solidarity and responsibility, and, in the method as well as by canons such as subsidiarity".

The recovery plan represents an extraordinary turning point and has an ambition equal to the historical value of the continent's integration. "The Head of State then added:" More and more the dangers and problems are transnational and can be only an unreserved multilateral collaboration is effective: we see it for example in terms of vaccines ". Then an appeal:" Citizens are anxiously living the present and looking to the

future with uncertainty: the process of launching the recovery plan must proceed very quickly to make resources available already at the beginning of 2021 ". 

The second day of the Forum is dedicated to the European Union, but also to the new green era and the resilience of cities in was from Covid, with a confrontation between the mayors of Milan and Berlin. Among the interventions on the agenda, those of the head of the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans, via videoconference from Brussels and de

The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell.

And an update on the Brexit negotiations is also expected with the intervention of Michel Barnier via videoconference from Brussels.

The debate between Mario Monti (in videoconference from Milan) and Mariya Gabriel (in videoconference from Sofia) will instead focus on the competitiveness and attractiveness of the European Union in the post-Covid-19 era.

While political measures in support of European economies will be at the center of the debate that will see protagonists Geert Wilders, Jörg Kukies, Bruno Le Maire, Nadia Calvio (in videoconference from Madrid), Klaus Regling and the European Commissioner, Paolo Gentiloni.