Italian President Sergio
Mattarella made his first trip to Brussels Tuesday, tackling
foreign and economic issues with top officials while receiving
assurances that the EU likes the pace of the reforms being
enacted by Matteo Renzi's government.
Mattarella ruled out the possibility of a Greek exit from
the European Union (EU) on the second day of his first foreign
tour since being elected head of State last month to succeed
Giorgio Napolitano.
"The hypothesis of Greece's exit from the European Union is
not even to be taken into consideration," Mattarella said during
talks with the Speaker of the European Parliament (EP), Martin
Schulz.
The president also highlighted the paradox according to
which the European single currency - reportedly described by
Mattarella as one of the greatest European achievements - was
sometimes seen more as an obstacle than a point of strength,
Italian sources said.
His visit to Brussels came after a day spent in Berlin,
where he met with German President Joachim Gauck and Chancellor
Angela Merkel and paid a visit to the Berlin Wall.
"The presence of the president of the republic here in
Brussels as part of his first foreign visit indicates great
attention towards the European institutions," deputy EP speaker
David Sassoli of the Democratic Party PD) said.
"His visit follows yesterday's to Berlin during which he
placed the attention on growth and not just on fiscal
discipline. The head of State is encouraging these institutions
to be truly representative of European citizens," Sassoli added.
The European Parliament is of "fundamental" importance
because "much of the future of young people" is decided there,
Mattarella told Italian MEPs.
"It is right and important to have a better relationship
with national parliaments; one should always remember that a
great deal of the policies which ensure a future for our young
people are framed and delivered in the Brussels parliament," he
told MEPs of all political stripes.
"The European Parliament...must grow further and reconquer
the trust of European citizens" Mattarella went on.
The head of State underlined that "in a moment when we need
to overcome the crisis and relaunch European integration with
force, Parliament has a decisive role".
Mattarella went on to confer with EU foreign policy chief
Federica Mogherini
The crises in Libya and Ukraine and relations with India in
connection with the two Italian marines facing trial for alleged
homicide there after they shot and killed two fishermen during
an anti-piracy mission in 2012 were among the topics discussed.
Mattarella stressed the importance for Europe of having a
common policy on the various issues, Italian sources said.
Mogherini reportedly explained that it is natural for
member countries to have their own foreign policy although there
is growing awareness that a common European policy has greater
clout.
"I am honoured to have received President Mattarella in
Brussels for our first official encounter," Mogherini said in a
message posted to her Twitter account after the meeting.
Mattarella also met with European Council President Donald
Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker,
underlining to both officials the "essential" role of their
institutions in guiding EU member States through sometimes
difficult times.
With Juncker, in particular, Mattarella said he had
assessed what Europe needs to boost economic recovery and foster
growth alongside fiscal rectitude.
Mattarella also said that he had found "a great deal of
appreciation for what Italy is doing and a lot of confidence, as
the latest acts of the EU show".
The head of State was responding to a query on how the EU
viewed the pace of reforms of Matteo Renzi's government.
Renzi is implementing major structural reforms to lift the
Italian economy out of recession and streamline the country's
political machinery to make lawmaking easier and faster.
Among these moves are labour-market reforms to make hiring
and firing easier and the abolition of the Senate in its present
form as carbon copy of the House.
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