by Marco Galluzzo
Draghi at the press conference after the Council of Ministers: Sanctions are working, I don’t agree with Salvini
“Italian democracy is strong, it cannot be beaten by external enemies, by its hired puppets. We must have confidence in our democracy, we must not be afraid of any voice.”
Mario Draghi is freer than usual, also when it comes to language. Perhaps he is only in charge of current affairs, even if he has just passed a 14 billion decree (with many public compliments to the economy minister, “I hope the next government has someone like him”). Maybe it could be his last press conference. At one point he takes the reporters’ questions himself. Is the first time. He has to flee to the Marche, but still wants answers and questions.
Those who journalists ask him are almost all politicians. Salvini, Meloni, the Russians, Moscow’s money, its future (Still in government? “No”). The common thread of the answers also lies in the sign of several pebbles that he seems to want to remove. The start of the conference is reassuring: he spoke to the Americans, “they confirmed to me that Italian political forces were absent from the list of those who benefited from Russian funds. There is no evidence of Russian funding for current candidates.
corruption
A reassurance linked to confidence in our country, “what I will say in New York for the UN Assembly, a country that is growing, that defends its citizens and its companies with a social agenda that has been the figure of my government “. A story that has nothing to do with “the fact that in recent years Russia has been engaged in continuous corruption in many areas in Europe and the USA”.
But since good things don’t make fiction or news, as the chroniclers of old said, the questions of what is wrong, or what could go wrong, linger. And Draghi dissects them piece by piece, sometimes even pointing his finger at the leaders who are currently facing each other in the election campaign. Does Meloni want to change the PNRR? «I do not share this always negative view: is there a PNRR that does not work? No, it works, it goes on, the resources have almost all been banned».
But there is also Salvini’s position on sanctions, on Moscow. Less reserved than usual, Draghi invites us to see things in their true dimension without overdoing it. He doesn’t mention Salvini, but Patience “there’s the one who loves the Russians madly and wants to lift the sanctions and secretly talks to the Russians every day … he’s there, he’s there too, but there are a lot of people who do this not do, that is, the majority of Italians ».
bare hands
Even former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte seems to crystallize his political positions for a moment: “You can’t vote for arms shipments to Ukraine and then say I disagree, or worse yet, be proud of Ukraine’s advance after he, on the other hand, was sending arms. Should Ukraine defend itself with bare hands? Maybe yes”. “In international relations we need to be transparent – Draghi adds – we need coherence, not upheavals or twists and turns. That is what defines a country’s reputation, coherence and transparency, without them it weakens the country both externally and internally and it lacks the environment needed for growth”.
Orban
They ask him about Orban, about the rejection from Brussels, about the fact that he is an ally of Meloni. The answer is clear, but it is aimed at the Italians: “We have a certain vision of Europe, we defend the rule of law, we are allies of Germany and France. But I wonder how do you choose your partners? Of course there is an ideological commonality, but I think also because of the interest of the Italians. Who are these partners? Who Matters Most? You give yourself the answers ». While the answer to the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia is unequivocal: “The sanctions are working. Within the centre-right there are many viewpoints. Will Salvinis prevail? I can not say it. It is a vision (that of Salvini, ed.) that the current government does not share ».
In addition, there is regret about the missed vote on the fiscal delegation: “There was an agreement with all political forces. The government has pledged not to write the delegated decrees until the date of the elections. All kept their word except for one political force that did not vote in favour. We hope there is still time ». The league opposed the plan on the commission.
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September 16, 2022 (Change September 16, 2022 | 22:56)
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