Growth slows down, raw materials may be lacking, the war with Vladimir Putin will not be short and, in any case, Russia will have to be done without for a long time. At the top of the European leaders at Versailles Mario Draghi first of all brings the numbers of a scenario that is no longer conceivable but predictable. Numbers that risk drawing the tunnel of recession for Europe and Italy. For this reason, “the European response will have to be convinced and swift as it was with Russia”, warned the Italian premier before the French summit. And it is precisely with Emmanuel Macron – with whom Draghi had a face to face before the European meeting – that Rome still has an axis. By focusing above all on the implementation of common debt to face the war period.
The premier landed in Paris after meeting the Council of Ministers in the morning. And just to the members of his government, according to rumors, Draghi would not have ruled out the risk of a recession. The hypothesis, however, is flatly denied by Palazzo Chigi and by the Prime Minister himself. In the pre-summit press point, Draghi stressed that “Italy is not in recession”. But he also showed a certain realism. “There has been a slowdown in growth, we have to support the purchasing power of families. What we have to do is immediately address these bottlenecks, these shortages of raw materials”, explained Draghi. And there is not only the energy node. Agro-food, paper, steel, ceramics, are some of the products at risk.
According to Palazzo Chigi, action must be rapid. The instrument to be used, between now and the end of March, will be the subject of intense negotiations in the EU. And the hypothesis of a Sure fund – made up exclusively of loans and much easier to use than the EU Next Generation – certainly could not displease Rome.
The problem, underlined Draghi, is not only Italian. It is no coincidence that the premier had a long conversation with Macron before the European summit. Pedro Sanchez’s Spain is on the same line. And who knows if in the short journey made with Olaf Scholz by the photo-family in the courtyard of Versailles at the entrance to the Palace, Draghi did not try to smooth out Berlin’s position. The premier, however, wants to avoid any narrative that sees Italy and France against the European hawks. “We are fully aligned in the sanctions against Russia and in supporting our economies and our businesses, our families”, the head of government pointed out.
After all, the choice made by the USA and Great Britain is gaining ground in Italy too. “We need to stop Russian oil and gas”, underlined Pd leader Enrico Letta. (HANDLE).
Source: Ansa
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