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Views from Italy: out of the Crisis. with Another Europe the Monti adopt certain policies. The explicit intention was for Italy The Future of the European Union to regain its lost international credibility and to play once again a leading role among the founding members of Views from Italy: Out of the crisis. European project. Hopes were high among With another Europe environmentalists as well: Monti had signed two reports addressed to the European Commission in which the green economy and tackling climate change played a central role1. These hopes were gone as soon as Monti's government cut welfare, social services and pensions, increased taxes for those Italians already paying them, de facto ignoring Italy's huge tax evasion, black market economy and the increasing gap between the richest and the poorest citizens, with 10% of the rich owning 46% of Italy's total assets (according to the Italian Central Bank). Environmental priorities and sustainable growth were not even mentioned. Monti showed little creativity at the EU level as well, his government having pursued the decisions taken at last European Council (June 28th – 29th). Sergio Andreis of Sbilanciamoci! discusses in the Five parties are currently represented in the Italian article below the conclusions of the conference “Out Parliament, of which three have been supporting the of the crisis with another Europe”, organised on July Monti government: Berlusconi's Popolo delle libertà – 9th 2012 by GEF with support of Sbilanciamoci! . The Freedoms' People (member of the European People’s article represents an attempt to define Italian PartyEuropean group); Unione di Centro, Center Union perspectives on the EU debt crisis and to put forward (also member of the EPP) and Partito Democratico, the proposals suggested by the Italian civil society to Democratic Party (member of the Socialist & Democrat overcome the crisis. European group,). This report is part of GEF’s 2012 effort to map discussions on the future of the European Union In the opposition the Lega Nord, the populist Northern across the continent, in order to act as a platform of League, against the EU and Italia dei Valori, The Italy of furthering understanding of the different national Values, pro-European. With the next elections, scheduled realities that are at stake when discussing key EU for the 2013 spring, the leftist, pro-European party questions. Reports from similar events will follow. Sinistra, Ecologia e Libertà (Left, Ecology and Freedom) is expectedto be able to elect MPs (running in an alliance with the Democratic Party), as well as the Movimento 5 Stelle (The 5-Star Movement), comparable to the Swedish and German Pirate Parties, which has attracted a This article highlights the conclusions of two events: “Out growing electoral support against traditional parties, of the crisis with another Europe” (Rome, July 9th) and with sometimes pro and sometimes anti-EU statements. “Another Road for Europe” (Brussels, June 28th), which dealt with ways of overcoming the triple economic, social and environmental crisis with a different direction for Proposals for getting out of the Europe. Before detailing the above, an overview of the crisis political situation in Italy is given. Against this polarised national background, the conference on July 9th attempted to bring Italian and The Monti government: from promises to policies 1 Project Europe 2030: Challenges and Opportunities - http://www.reflectiongroup.eu/2010/05/08/project-europe-2030- challenges-and-opportunities/ and A New Strategy for the Single When Berlusconi resigned, Mario Monti's technocratic Market - government was formed with the EU exerting pressure to http://ec.europa.eu/bepa/pdf/monti_report_final_10_05_2010_e n.pdf The future of the European Union 2 View from Italy: Out of the crisis. With another Europe European answers to the triple economic, social and Democracy has to be expanded at all levels in Europe; environmental crisis, by discussing labour policies, social the EU has to be reformed and the concentration of justice and democratic questions in the current solutions power in the hands of more powerful states that has advanced by European leaders. Five sets of proposals taken place with the crisis has to be reversed. The emerged from the Brussels and Rome events: aim is to achieve greater citizens’ participation, a major role for the European Parliament (EP), and much more meaningful democratic control over key Facing the dramatic acceleration of Europe’s financial decisions. The next EP elections in 2014 should crisis – marked by the interaction between a banking represent an opportunity for making choices amongst crisis and the public debt crisis – the European alternative proposals for Europe within and across EU Central Bank should immediately act as a lender of Member States. Facing a risk of collapse, Europe’s last resort in the government bond market. The policies need to change course, and an alliance public debt problem has to be solved with a common between civil society, trade unions, social movements responsibility of the eurozone, using institutional and progressive political forces - notably in the EP - is arrangements that could be put in place without required to lead Europe out of the crisis created by delay. Debts should be evaluated by a public audit. neo-liberalism and finance and towards a fully- fledged democracy. Greater European integration is A radical downsizing of the financial sector is needed, with a parallel European constitutional needed, with a financial transaction tax, limitations reform, through a European Convention / on speculative finance and capital movements, and an Constituent Assembly, transnational lists for the EP extension of social control in particular over banks elections and direct democracy tools allowing EU receiving public funds. The financial system should citizens to promote new European policies be transformed, so that it may support socially and environmentally sustainable productive investments A call for Another Europe Austerity policies should be reversed and the heavy conditionality imposed on countries receiving EU Also in Italy, traditionally one of the more pro- EU emergency funds should be revised, starting with Member States, the perception of the EU has become Greece: the dangerous constraints of the fiscal increasingly negative and the EU institutions are largely compact need be removed, so that countries can blamed for the crisis, specifically for their inability to defend public expenditure, welfare and wages, while avoid importing a crisis which has had its roots outside the EU assumes a greater role in stimulating the EU. This led to a new pro vs. Anti-EU political divide, demand, promoting full employment and taking a going so far as to see unprecedented requests to leave new course of sustainable and equitable growth. the euro. Moreover, European policies should favour a redistribution that reduces inequalities, move With 80% of a Member State’s legislation originating at towards fiscal harmonisation, putting an end to tax the European level, it is impossible to argue that Europe competition, and shift the tax burden away from is not at fault. Alternatives have been and are being labour and to a higher taxation of profits and wealth. proposed2: so that, albeit with little imagination and Labour and collective bargaining have to be defended; decade-long delays, we also heard the EU so called labour rights are a key part of Europe’s democratic leaders, talking about the Tobin tax, a European rating rights. agency and the greening of the economy. But this talk had no consequent political actions. The missing actions Action should start now for longer-term changes with the are yet more proof, not of the impossibility of another following priorities: Europe, but of how unfit the heads of the current EU Commission and Council are to address the two primary A Green new deal can provide a way out of Europe’s challenges of the 21st century: to reconcile recession, with large investments supporting an development with the physical limitations of our planet ecological transition toward sustainability, providing - including climate change and depletion of resources - high quality jobs, expanding capabilities in new and to ensure social justice within our societies and innovative fields and enlarging possibilities for action at the local level, especially on public goods. 2 The 2006 Stern Review and the 2009 Wuppertal Institute Study A Green New Deal for Europe. Towards a green modernization in the face of crisis, just to mention two comprehensive ones. The future of the European Union 3 View from Italy: Out of the crisis. With another Europe between them. Failing which, Europe risks not only being considering the networking effects with the other unable to guarantee quality of life and social justice to its cultural productive systems – from heritage, to citizens, but also becoming irrelevant as a global player. tourism to local productions and trade - we reach 15% of the whole national economy and 18.1% of all Europe is not just the euro. After centuries of destruction jobs5. One top example: Slow Food which is by now a on this continent, Europe also means decades without world brand. war, as well as the coming into force of the Kyoto Protocol with the Prodi Commission developing Energy efficiency: for an extraordinary energy awareness of the risks posed by climate change. Not all efficiency EU initiative6 which may result in over 30% European Commissions are the same and, in order to less energy consumption and the creation of new avoid falling into the European anti- politics trap, jobs: 1.6 million for Italy alone – as shown by the differentiated evaluations should be made: we too are strategic energy efficiency initiative launched by Europe and it would be misleading to think we are not Confindustria, the Italian industrialists umbrella part of the problem and, therefore, must also be part of organisation, together with the three largest national the solution. Another Europe is a matter of political will.
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