towards a new relaunch piano
“In a crisis you have to invest. We are experiencing a war in Europe. Which means that common investments are needed ”. To pronounce these words, in front of the palace of Versailles, are not Mario Draghi or Emmanuel Macron. But none other than the Austrian canceller Karl Nehammer. The opening that makes the difference at the summit hosted by the French is his presidency.
With the shore of Vienna, the goal of the Italian premier and the French president of convincing even the frugal of the need for a new common European debt to reposition the continent from the point of view of energy and common defense, glides in the Versailles discussion with a hinder in less. For this reason, late in the evening, while the leaders are gathered in the Hall of Hercules, which King Louis XV liked to use as a ballroom, some EU sources set more precise objectives than those circulating on the eve. The idea is to achieve energy independence from Russia in 5 years, in 2027. And to be able to launch a new recovery plan for May. The draft final conclusions, under discussion as we write, envisage the obligation of the European Commission to “prepare an analysis of the gaps in investment in the defense sector by mid-May and promote any initiative necessary to strengthen the further industrial and technological base. of European defense “.
At dinner in the Gallery of Mirrors, even bigger and more sumptuous than the Hercules hall, where in the 18th century the great celebrations organized by the royal family were held and where in 1919 the Treaty of Versailles was signed which put an end to the First World War, but laying the foundations for the second twenty years later, the heads of state and government of the current Union are trying to find the right words to ensure solidarity and support for Ukraine, while at the same time putting its request for accession to the EU.
Specifically, the topic of investments is on the agenda of the second day of the summit tomorrow. But already tonight’s discussion on defense and energy, before dinner, outlines the positions at the table. Holland remains ‘frugal’, a difference from Austria. For Prime Minister Mark Rutte it is out of place to talk about a new recovery plan. “There is no suggestion or plan of this type on the table – Rutte said at the summit – because as we have always said, the Next Generation Eu is a one-off”, that is to say: unrepeatable. “Inside the Recovery existing plan we still have a lot to do – he adds – I think it is important to focus on what we need now: what we can do on defense and what we can do to be sure that the energy crisis is countered in the most effective way possible “.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson takes advantage of the Stockholm media spotlight on the summit to announce that she will bring defense investments to “2 percent of GDP”. As for the idea of a Eurobond or a new European common debt for the expenses of those countries that have more difficulty and higher countries, such as France, Italy and the south, Anderson is ruthless: “Some states are always looking for new ones so as not to pay the own expenses “.
Video:, Macron: “A country at war cannot enter the EU, but closing the door would be unfair to Ukraine” (Agenzia Vista)
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Dear Energy, Zaia: “We need to review the Pnrr programming”
(Agenzia Vista) Venice, 10 March 2022 “I think that in front of 229 billion euros of Pnrr we need to think about revising the programming. We also think about fuel and how much excise duties, even very old ones, weigh on the price”, so the president of Veneto Zaia live on Facebook. / Facebook Luca Zaia Source: Vista Agency / Alexander Jakhnagiev
Vista Agency
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SUBTITLES Lavrov: “I don’t think there will be nuclear war”
(Agenzia Vista) Turkey, 10 March 2022 “I don’t think there will be a nuclear war, it is a topic raised only by Westerners”, said Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov at the end of talks in Turkey with Kuleba. / Facebook Russian Foreign Ministry – МИД России Source: Vista Agency / Alexander Jakhnagiev
Vista Agency
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Ukraine, Zaia: “2500 refugees arrived in Veneto”
(Agenzia Vista) Venice, 10 March 2022 “According to the data we have collected, 2,500 refugees have arrived in Veneto, but the data changes from hour to hour”, said the Veneto Zaia live on Facebook. / Facebook Luca Zaia Source: Vista Agency / Alexander Jakhnagiev
Vista Agency
FOLLOWING
Italian sources recall that, exactly 2 years ago, Angela Merkel was also against the Next Generation Eu, together with Holland. The turning point matured within a few weeks. It took little to go from no to the official announcement together with Macron: 750 billion of investments for the Union struggling with the covid. Today the new expenditure is not yet quantified, some rumors suggest 200 billion euros. Premature. But the brakes from the north do not scare the promoters of the new move: Draghi and Macron in fact.
The Italian premier and the French president agreed on the line in the morning, on a bilateral basis before entering the palace. Until a few days ago, the head of the Elysée wanted to reach a political agreement at 27 on a new recovery right here in Versailles. The stop of the frugal forced him to change tactics. “Today we set the goal, not the instrument, otherwise we would face obstacles and taboos”, says Macron, speaking of European defense, overcoming the common energy dependence on Russia of countries such as Italy, Germany and many others, the “expensive energy ”, Sword of Damocles on the European industrial and social fabric. “The point is that to do these things we need investments: will they be private or public?” Macron asks himself in front of the cameras.
So much is he pessimistic about the war (“I don’t see a ceasefire in the hours”, he admits speaking of the morning phone call with Putin), so much the head of the Elysée is optimistic about the new European plan. In the weeks the EU will have to take “strategic and historical decisions”, because “it has to change: it has changed with the pandemic and will change even faster with the war”, says Macro must be “stronger” clear-sighted, ambitious “and make all-round decisions. ‘height”.
The discussion at the table is heated. The leaders are closed in the Hercules hall without sherpa and without telephones: security reasons, Council sources say. But Draghi and Macron are confident that it will be the contingency situation and the great crisis that will dictate the conditions and convince the frugal that no, a single recovery and resilience plan is not enough.
“Italy and France – says the premier – are aligned both in the response to Russia with the sanctions, and in their support for our countries for the consequences of the sanctions”. And for Draghi “the answer” on how to repair the damage of the sanctions on the Member States’ economy “can only be European, just as the response to Russia was European”, but also “Italian”. Draghi underlines: “The economy is not in recession, it is still growing but there has been a slowdown” due to the difficulties in the “energy, food, scarcity of raw materials. It is the Italian situation but also the European one. We must respond with the speed and conviction with which we responded to Russia “, knowing that” the answer cannot be to ease the sanctions against Moscow but to our companies “hit by the sanctions.
From the Versailles summit emerges a mandate to the Commission to prepare a proposal for May. But someone dares that the part concerning energy could already be addressed at the European Council on 24 and 25 March in Brussels, a summit that should approve the ‘Strategic compass’ on EU defense anyway. The idea is to eliminate the source of energy dependence on Russia by 2027. “But building for the gas pipelines that will carry liquid gas from the Spanish regasification plants to other EU countries will require money”, points out an Italian diplomat.
In Versailles the frugal are trampling but the outcome of the discussion seems to have already been written. Indeed, in the shadow of the symbols of the Sun King, the 27 find themselves re-enacting a discussion started in 2020, when the covid first took over Italy and then the EU. The war established that discussion that is not only not over, but is destined to shape the future of the Union. Provided that the 17 windows of the Gallery of Mirrors do not add bad luck to the drama of the war in progress.