Alfieri (PD): “Schlein is right on Kyiv and defence. M5S and AVS? You can’t agree on everything”

"On Ukraine, Elly Schlein has reaffirmed the positions that the PD has long held." So said Democratic Party Senator Alessandro Alfieri to "Il Foglio", commenting on the interview given to this newspaper by the PD secretary last week. Her openness to nuclear power, her staunch support for Kyiv and her positions on defence have drawn reactions ranging from favourable (from reformists within the PD but also from members of the ruling coalition) to negative. This has been particularly evident in the more left-leaning press and among those less inclined to support Ukraine. And in a week when the Chamber of Deputies is once again discussing international missions, the foreign policy issues still on the table are taking on greater significance.

“We were the first to support Ukraine without hesitation, and we did so in the full knowledge that it was the only way to uphold the sacrosanct right to self-defence of the Ukrainian people, who were brutally attacked by the Russians, including through military aid. And we continue to do so,” says Alfieri, who reiterates his support for the Safe Defence Fund, the subsidised loan programme through which the EU helps member states to cover military expenditure totalling 150 billion euros. “We are not opposed to it. In all resolutions, both at European level and in Italy, we have always given a positive opinion. We maintain that the necessary investments must be made by promoting economies of scale and interoperability, and this is achieved by bringing together European defence industries, getting European governments to work together, and not just spending at national level.” According to Alfieri, “European defence cannot be achieved if we continue to increase national funding without coordinating it, without utilising EU programmes that help foster collaboration and build a path towards integration.” This position is in line with the views expressed by Schlein to this newspaper (“We need to spend in a more coordinated manner at European level and we need to do so more efficiently than we do today. Only this will strengthen deterrence”), but is exactly the opposite of the firm “no” to SAFE funds voiced in Il Foglio by Angelo Bonelli, co-founder of AVS and a key figure in the broad coalition. The Democratic Party senator takes it in his stride: “We agree with our allies on 90 per cent of the measures on the economic and social agenda. On the issue of support for Ukraine and defence investment, there are differing sensitivities, but I’m not pessimistic,” he continues, expressing confidence that “common ground can be found at European level. That said, we can’t agree on everything 100 per cent, because then we’d be in the same party.” After all, if the differences within the centre-left were irreconcilable, “we would be repeating the 2022 model”, with the PD on one side and the M5S on the other. “That was a serious mistake, and anyone promoting that model should take responsibility for leaving the country in the hands of a right-wing government for another five years – a government which, incidentally, now also includes Vannacci.”

Hence, an appeal: “We need responsibility and generosity from all parties involved.” And it may well have been this generosity that prompted Schlein to open the door to new members joining the progressive camp. Carlo Calenda, above all. “We have never imposed any vetoes,” says Alfieri. Let’s come together and measure ourselves against projects, programmes and the building of an alternative. We still have a few months left; I want to remain optimistic.” Optimism aside, for Alfieri, the Democratic Party secretary – with her positions on Kyiv and defence – is sending a clear message to the Five Star Movement and the AVS: “The PD is aware of the enormous challenges at international level, and if Europe wants to play a role in international crises and not just recite the usual platitude at the end of European Councils – namely that Europe is deeply concerned – it is clear that it must, in some way, make a qualitative leap.” What does that mean? “Building a common foreign and defence policy, at least with those who are on board, as was done for the euro and Schengen. To do this, we need to move beyond unanimity; we need to try to spend jointly through EU programmes to strengthen our common defence. On foreign policy, we probably won’t win widespread support, but we will certainly lose credibility if we don’t make the right choices.”