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October 22, 2021 "Today's Council, imagined as if it were a transitional meeting, without major discussions, proved to be important and with in-depth and complex discussions", said the Prime Minister Mario Draghi at a press conference after the conclusion of the meeting. of heads of state and government in Brussels.

Among the main issues, energy and migration on which there was a long discussion. As for

, Italy, explains the prime minister, pointed out that immediate action must be taken, for example, by thinking about integrated storage, an inventory of reserves to create a system that protects all EU countries equally. "In the long term it is the strategy of renewables that we must focus on. But if gas prices rise, there is also a problem of financing this path. And it is difficult to give up gas immediately for many countries", says Prime Minister Mario Draghi. "The point of arrival can only be renewables", he adds. To solve the problems of energy and gas costs "we need more structural and long-term measures", but for the moment the European Commission has proposed short-term solutions. "We need a strategy that aims at the strategic autonomy of the European Union on energy, and for this reason, in the long term, we must not depend on gas supplied by other countries ".

The question of

does not pose alternatives. "What has been questioned", says Draghi, "is not a secondary law of the Union, but the Treaty, a primary law. The rules are clear, and here the basis of the Union has been questioned. but to maintain a dialogue and an open political path with Poland. To be clear about the defense of the Union's principles but willing to continue the dialogue with the utmost respect for diverging opinions ". "No one has doubts that this government is pro-European. We have said from the beginning that those who are part of the government must respect the law of the Union" and consider the Euro "a great success",  the premier replied to those who asked him about the position of the League on the issue of Poland.

"It is important to have had this discussion because the rule of law is at the heart of our European Union, this principle guarantees mutual trust, legal certainty and the equality of citizens before the law. A fundamental pillar is the independence of the judiciary, this was at the heart of the discussion on Poland, we have a long way to go. We ask Poland to apply the Court's ruling to reinstate the dismissed judges ", said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the press conference. at the end of the European Council.

The heads of state and government in Brussels discussed the issue of

at length

so much so that the draft conclusions have been rewritten. There are three main issues: Belarus's actions against EU borders, secondary movements and funding for action plans with third countries. "It is not true" that there is an opening of the EU to the financing of walls on the external borders, said Draghi. "The commission disagrees and many in the European Council disagree, including us".

On the changes to Schengen, Draghi says that in the initial text there was a reference that "there is not in the final text and we are satisfied". He explains that "the weaker the protection of our external borders, the stronger the pressure on limiting the movement of people" within. "This is why various countries would have been in favor of a Schengen change. I stressed the fact that we are basically left alone but today this situation is everyone's problem. The important thing is not to split up, it makes no sense to privilege a country or a route. ", continues the premier, citing the pressure" exerted on the border between Belarus and the Baltic countries and Poland where "immigration is used instrumentally by the Belarusian regime", "the pressure coming from Turkey which is destined to increase "with the Afghan crisis, and" the pressure from North Africa that we know all too well ". The Prime Minister then stressed the need to" rebalance the external dimension of the Union giving the southern Mediterranean the same importance as the eastern Mediterranean "in terms of allocation of funds.

On the Recovery Plan "there is no delay and I do not register any worries. We must move forward with conviction and speed on the implementation of the commitments made", says Mario Draghi, answering a question during the press conference after the European Council in Brussels. "We have a year" to talk about the revision of the Stability Pact, "there is time to develop points of view that are realistic", he continues, underlining that "the commitments we are making on vaccinations, on health to face future pandemics, on vaccination in the rest of the world, are of such a size that they will have to be addressed with different budgetary rules: we have a year to talk about them "and deal with them" in a realistic way.

On pensions he explains that they are "the subject of the discussion of the budget law" that we present next week. I have always said that I did not share Quota 100, which has a three-year duration and will not be renewed. Now it is necessary to ensure graduality in the transition to what was once normal. "

"The infections are on the rise, much more in other countries. So far in Italy they are greater than a few days ago, we must understand if they are greater due to the much higher number of swabs or is it the result of a spread" of the virus.

"What is important is that the vaccination campaign continues to go well. We have vaccinated more than other EU countries and, despite England, we have maintained caution", said the premier about the fight against the pandemic.

The third dose "of vaccine" will be needed for certain categories especially ", such as the most vulnerable and the elderly.