GERMAN ITALIAN YOUNG LEADERS DIALOGUE
SPINELLI FORUM
Berlin November 20 to 21, 2023
Introductory Speech by Pier Virgilio Dastoli, President European Movement-Italy
Let me thank IEP and ISPI with the two Foreign Offices to give me the possibility to introduce the third Spinelli Forum as President of the European Movement and former assistant of Altiero Spinelli.
My warm greetings to Funda Tekin who was the 18th of October one of the four speakers of our forum on the future of Europe, Antonio Villafranca, Anna Luehrmann, Maria Tripodi, Julian Rappold, Florian Eder and the sixty Young Leaders.
As you know, Altiero Spinelli is one of the parents (not only fathers but fathers and mothers as the German federalist founder of “Women for Europe” Ursula Hirschmann) of the European integration, as federalist leader, scholar, founder of the International Affairs Institute, Commissioner and MEP.
If you see his political life and you examine the four main elements of your debates (EU external strategic autonomy, promoter of democratic values, competitivity and example of sustainable transition in energy and green Economy), you can discover his legacy and connect this legacy to the debate on the future of Europe to explain not only how EU reached its current impasse but also how it may fare its destiny.
As federalist leader, Altiero Spinelli has been at the center of the action for the European Community of Defense in the years fifties.
The reconstitution of a new European order is newly urgent and necessary for security and peace after the Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine and the terrorist attack of Hamas against Israel.
That is the reason why we suggested that EU takes the leadership of a Continental Conference to establish a Helsinki-II Treaty and a Conference of Cooperation and Security (CSCM) with the Mediterranean neighborhood countries.
As a scholar and founder of IAI, he has dedicated his action during the years sixties on the promotion of freedom, justice, and democracy in Europe and in the World.
Consistent with his action, I agree on the concept of the note on European migration policy where it is written that “engaging with autocratic states erodes the EU’s credibility as a promoter of democratic values and undermines efforts to promote good governance and democratic reforms abroad”. The problem as you know isn’t the pull factor but the push factor.
As Commissioner during the first part of the years seventies he has dedicated his action to European research, Industrial policy, and new technologies (not forgetting cultural policy) being convinced that the European leadership and competitivity should be assured by a pragmatic equilibrium or – if we use a contemporary word – by a true sustainability.
Consistent with this approach, the European Movement is strongly supporting the European Commission’s action for EU public goods through a public/private partnership.
Finally, and as Member of the European Parliament he has devoted his action from ‘76 to ‘86 to prepare the future of Europe in view of the democratic unification of the Continent.
His main success has been the “Draft Treaty of the European Union” adopted by the EP the 14th of February 1984 at the origin of the next steps of the European integration (Single European Act, Treaties of Maastricht, Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon). We will meet in Ventotene the 14th of February 2024 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the adoption of this Treaty and you are invited to join this meeting during a special Spinelli Forum.
Consistent with the Spinelli Draft Treaty, the EP will debate tomorrow and vote the 22nd of November a large proposal of revision of the Treaties of Lisbon to prepare the future of EU before its enlargement to the Western Balkans and three Eastern European Countries.
We are convinced that this proposal should be at center of the campaign for the European elections that will take place exactly in 198 days and that the new elected EP should assume the leadership of a democratic, constituent mission.
Thank you and see you in Ventotene!
Rome-Berlin 20th of November 2023