Mattarella: “The current international situation leaves no room for delay”

The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, has sent a message to mark the opening of the Cernobbio Forum, the annual series of meetings on economic and political issues organised by the think tank The European House – Ambrosetti. In his message, the Head of State describes the difficult challenges of the present day, stating that “the current international context leaves no room for delay”.

The message reads: “The historical juncture we are experiencing appears complex and characterised by a transitional phase which, whilst declaring the existing balance to be no longer valid, does not seem committed to building a new one, confining itself – often with an eye to bygone eras that no longer exist – to questioning the values upon which national societies have built their present”. Furthermore, against this backdrop, Mattarella identifies a “worrying tendency to reinstate power politics, with the threat, if not the use, of force, to support one’s own claims in the resolution of international disputes”, as well as a “predatory claim on existing resources”. These dynamics translate into a concept of security for one at the expense of another, “which harks back to colonial eras, setting the history of human civilisation back”.

To avert this disturbing scenario, the head of state recommends a “rapid review of the necessary conditions for reform and adaptation to the contemporary reality – which is radically different from the conditions of the post-Second World War years – in order to make it more appropriate and effective”.

In these circumstances, the role of the European Union is fundamental, as it “remains the world’s most striking example of shared sovereignty, underpinned by common values, capable of ensuring peace, rights and widespread prosperity for a group of states that have been accustomed to fighting one another for centuries. Its successes are indisputable – and for this reason, at times, envied and opposed – just as its appeal remains as strong and vital as ever’. The Union also serves as a model for cooperative relations that stands in contrast to power politics: ‘as in all strategic areas where the Union intervenes, it is in fact the individual who is placed at the centre’.

The Cernobbio Forum, now in its 52nd year, takes place every first weekend in September at Villa d’Este, in the town of the same name on Lake Como. The event begins today and concludes on Sunday.