The European Parliament
gave a 'fail' mark to Premier Giuseppe Conte's maiden speech to
the Strasbourg assembly on Tuesday with one caucus leader
calling him a "puppet" of his depuuty premiers, Luigi Di Maio
and Matteo salvini.
"I wonder how much longer you will be the puppet moved by
Salvini and Di Maio," Liberals leader Guy Verhofstadt asked
Conte in the EP plenary assembly.
Verhofstadt also said Di Maio had "abused" his office by
meeting with French Yellow Vests protesters last week.
Verhofstadt told Conte: "I'll speak in Italian, I'm in love
with Italy, for me it is a country, it is an entire
civilisation, Italy is where our European civilisation was
born...
"That is why it hurts me to see Italy's political
degeneration, which did not start yesterday, or a year ago, but
20 years ago.
"This beautiful country has become, from a convinced defender
of Europe, a laggard in the Union".
European Socialists and Democrats caucus leader Udo Bullmann
said "I am very saddened by the senseless escalation between
Italy and France. In contexts like this no one comes out a
winner, it is a classic lose-lose situation" after France
recalled its ambassador due to "unprecedented" attacks and DI
Maio's meeting with the Yellow Vests.
Bullmann said on his recent visit to Catania on the Sea Watch
standoff, and on Conte's speech to the EP, that "this is not the
Italy that we know, the Italy we know is that of (European
founding father Altiero) Spinelli".
He said "your government must stop showing us this inhuman
face (on migrants)".
European People's Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber commented
on Conte's speech by saying "on Venezuela Guaidò has asked Italy
to recognise him, I think you should answer Guaidò if you think
there should be a common European approach".
Premier Conte told the parliament that Europe had not yet
been able to build a European people and that European politics
lost touch with people after the economic crisis of 2007-8.
He added that the Dublin migrant rule reform was
unsustainable and that a single EU seat at the United Nations
Security Council was needed.
Conte told the Strasbourg parliament that the construction of
a 'European people' has seen "significant moments of
advancement" but "we still haven't succeeded in really becoming
a 'people', we haven't had the courage to build an inclusive
model that, realistically, beyond all rhetoric, could favour the
creation of a European demos."
"European politics, faced with an unprecedented economic
crisis, withdrew in fear inside the cold grammar of procedures,
ending up by progressively losing contact with its people and
making ever more unbridgeable the distance, which is not only
geographical, between Brussels and the continent's many
peripheries," the Italian premier said.
"Politics gave up its legitimating and representative
function, appearing - in the eyes of citizens - distant and
'oligarchic'."
Conte added that "no European Member State can play a
significant role on its own.
"Hence the hope that a united European voice may find space
also at the UN Security Council.
"It is a battle, this one, on which the European Union must
move in a coordinated way, it must speak with a single voice.
"The European Union must be able to speak to the world. A
strong, ambitious and coherent Europe is above all necessary to
improve its capacity of talking to the United States".
Conte said that "faced with the massacre of human lives
we must all together wage a fight on traffickers without
quarter. let us stop remaining divided, giving in to nationalist
or regionalist logic, and let us try to put into practice an
authentic solidarity.
"The proposal to reform the Dublin Regulation, approved in
November 2017, is not sustainable in the present EU. There
prevails, unfortunately, the unwillingness of the majority of
States to participate in compulsory (quotas)."
Conte added that "the inadequate and insufficient solidarity
inside the EU also explains why Europe is struggling and is late
on being fairer and more social.
"The new European legislature must pursue with greater
decision and as an urgent priority the fight against
unemployment and support for growth...The EU's economic
governance must take account of the need to balance growth and
stability".
European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen reacted to
Conte's speech by saying "Europe proceeds and gives its best
when Italy and the Italian people are at the centre,
this must represent a guide for us.
"In order to build a future of European success we need a
strong Italy at its centre, we must build together our future in
unity and solidarity working always with each other and not
against each other, speaking together".
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani responded to
Conte's saying the Dublin Regulation reform is unsustainable by
saying "we ask you for a further commitment in the next meetings
of the Council so that the proposals of the EU parliament are
accepted, perhaps by finding some compromise on the Dublin
reform."
He stressed the importance of involving member States "in the
choices in favour of strengthening the Parliament's powers".
Conte said earlier Tuesday his meeting with European
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker "went very well and
President Juncker will come to Rome on April 1".
The meeting lasted about half an hour.
"We did not talk about France, but we spoke about various
issues," said Conte.
Asked why a fresh meeting was needed in Rome, Conte replied:
"He loves Italy".
European Commission Spokesperson Margaritis Schinas told
journalists the talks had been "constructive" and
"wide-ranging".
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