+Europa leader Emma Bonino told
a Facebook-ANSA live forum Tuesday that her party's pro-European
stance was stronger than that of her centre-left coalition ally
the Democratic Party (PD).
"Our Europeanism, with respect to the PD's, is more
determined, constant, obdurate, not seesawing and more
impassioned," she said.
She said "the EU implies an attention for a constant policy,
a way of seeing how it works, how to gain benefits from the
European project".
Bonino went on to say that it was "irresponsible" to call for
the scrapping of the 2011 Fornero pension reform, as the
rightwing populist League and other parties do.
"I'm not a fetishist. The Fornero law can ne modified,
tweaked but taking into account the compatibilities" with
Italy's financial obligations, she said.
"In order to understand the Fornero law you have to go back
to the context in which it was framed (with Italy on the verge
of a sovereign-debt crisis)".
"Like all laws you can modify it, even though those who call
for its abolition, I'd like to see where they'll get the
resources (to do so).
"That doesn't change the fact that it can be tweaked, but
heavy jobs have already been removed and that life expectancy is
80.
"Pensions cost 260 billion euros, twice the EU budget.
"Asking to abrogate it is irresponsible".
+Europa is the biggest of a group of small centre-left parties
allied with the PD for the March 4 general election.
Bonino has a higher profile abroad than many other leaders
having been both former foreign minister and former European
Commissioner.
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