Mattarella swore: “Unexpected call. Now no delays, build Italy after Covid "
The Head of State before the Parliament in joint session. A long speech, on various topics, interrupted by 55 applause and a final three-minute ovation
(Handle)
The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella officially opens his second term at the Quirinale.
The Head of State entered the Chamber of Deputies on time, at 15.30, greeted by a very long applause from the electors.
The President recited the short oath formula: "I swear to be loyal to the Republic and to loyally observe its Constitution".
Then he started the speech, which lasted 37 minutes (with a total of 55 applause and three minutes of final ovation): "The great voters have made their decision, it is for me a new unexpected call to responsibility to which I cannot and cannot I intend to escape. I thank you for the confidence you have shown in me by calling me for the second time to represent the unity of the Republic. The letter and the spirit of our Charter will continue to be my point of reference ".
THE ELECTION - Mattarella analyzed what happened last week with his troubled re-election and observed that the expectations of the Italians "would have been greatly compromised by the prolongation of a state of profound political uncertainty and tensions, the consequences of which could have put at risk also decisive resources and the prospects for relaunching the country committed to getting out of a condition of great difficulty. I read this awareness in the vote of the Parliament that concluded the troubled days of last week, and this awareness is the reason for my yes and it will be at the center of my commitment ".
A THOUGHT FOR THOSE WHO SUFFER - “My thoughts, at this moment, are addressed to all Italians and to all Italians: of every age, of every Region, of every social condition, of every political orientation. And, in particular, to those most suffering, who expect from the institutions of the Republic a guarantee of rights, reassurance, support and concrete responses to their distress ”, he added.
THE PRIORITIES - Again: “When the Presidents of the Chamber and Senate communicated the outcome of the vote to me, I spoke of the urgencies - health, economic and social - that are challenging us. We cannot afford delays or uncertainties ”.
Mattarella recalled that the fight against the virus "is not over, there is no allowance for neglect", while stressing that the vaccination campaign "has greatly reduced the risks".
"It is fully evident - he stressed - that the resumption of all activities is linked to the spread of vaccines that help protect ourselves and others. This commitment is combined with that for recovery, for the construction of our future. Italy is a great country. The spirit of initiative of the Italians, their creativity and solidarity, the extraordinary commitment of our companies, the choices of the institutions have allowed us to restart. They have allowed the economy to achieve results that now place us in the group head of the Union ".
But this recovery, he warned, "in order to consolidate and not be ephemeral, needs planning, innovation, investments in social capital, a real leap in efficiency of the country system".
THE ECONOMY - Mattarella listed the “new economic difficulties” that arise: “Families and businesses will have to deal with the increases in the price of energy. The scarcity and the increase in the price of some goods of fundamental importance for the productive sectors are of concern ”. Now is the time to "design and start building post-emergency Italy".
FOREIGN POLICY - The president remarked on Italy's international position: “In compliance with the choices of our Constitution, the Republic has always pursued a policy of peace. In it, with firm adherence to the principles that inspire the United Nations Organization, the North Atlantic Treaty, the European Union, we have constantly promoted mutually respectful dialogue between the various parties so that the principles of cooperation and justice prevail. For many decades, European countries have enjoyed the peace dividend, made concrete by European integration and increased by the end of the Cold War ”.
THE PNRR - On the PNRR: "We are the major beneficiaries - he said - and we must relaunch the economy in the name of sustainability and innovation, in the context of the ecological and digital transition". But growth should take place "in unity", he warned, without territorial and social inequalities ".
He wished to overcome the problem of “demographic decline and a change in Europe driven precisely by our country. So that the EU becomes "more efficient and just".
DRAGHI - Government Chapter: “The Government led by President Draghi is intensely committed to all these issues - both internally and in the international dimension; born, with broad parliamentary support, in the midst of the emergency and now projected to overcome it, laying the foundations for a new season of sustainable growth for the country and Europe. To the Government I express my sincere thanks and best wishes for a good job ".
THE PARLIAMENT - It has launched an appeal for the centrality of Parliament, increasingly superseded by decree laws and questions of trust: "What appears necessary - in the indispensable collaborative dialogue between the Government and Parliament is that - particularly on the fundamental acts of government of the country - Parliament is always placed in a position to be able to examine and evaluate them in an appropriate timeframe. The forced compression of parliamentary times represents a risk that is certainly no less than unjustified and harmful delays in time ”.
JUDICIARY - Justice chapter: “In sending a greeting to our judiciary - a fundamental element of the constitutional system and of the life of our society - I would like to underline that a profound reform process must also affect the side of justice. For too long it has become a battleground that has often made us lose sight of the interests of the community. It is essential that the reforms announced for justice come to fruition immediately so that the Higher Council of the Judiciary can fully carry out its proper function, enhancing the undisputed high professionalism on which the Judiciary can count, overcoming the logic of belonging which, by dictation constitutional, must remain extraneous to the judicial order ".
THE POPE - The Head of State also greeted Pope Francis, then moved on to the world of work, addressing various issues. From high unemployment, especially women and young people, to the many, too many deaths, with a thought also for Lorenzo Parelli, the 18-year-old student who recently died during an internship.
MONICA VITTI - There was no lack of homage to Monica Vitti, then she told the parties that "it is necessary to listen to the voice of the students, who feel all the difficulties of their future and try to express needs, questions aimed at overcoming imbalances and contradictions". Violence against women "is an unacceptable sore to heal", as are the episodes of aggression and discrimination against migrants.
SASSOLI - Mattarella finally recalled David Sassoli: “I would like to remember in this room the President of another Parliamentary Assembly, the European one, David Sassoli. His testimony as a meek and courageous man, always open to dialogue and capable of representing democratic institutions at the highest levels, has entered the soul of Italians ".
DIGNITY - It is the word most used by the president, 18 times: “It is the cornerstone of our commitment”, he said, quoting it in several passages.
“Dignity is eliminating deaths at work, which hurt society and the conscience of each of us. Because the safety of every worker in the workplace is about the value we attach to life. No more tragedies like that of the young Lorenzo Parelli, who entered the factory for a school-work project ”, said Mattarella.
"" Equal social dignity is a cornerstone of a just and effective development. Inequalities are not the price to pay for growth. They are rather the brake of any real prospect of growth. Our task - as the Constitution prescribes - is to remove obstacles ”Added the president.
Dignity is also "preventing violence against women, a profound, unacceptable scourge that must be vigorously opposed and healed with the force of culture, education, example".
Again: "Dignity is opposing racism and anti-Semitism, intolerable aggressions, not only to minorities made the object of physical or verbal violence, but to the conscience of each of us".
“Dignity is a country where prisons are not overcrowded and ensure the social reintegration of prisoners. This is also the best guarantee of safety ".
And dignity is also "guaranteeing and ensuring the right of citizens to free and independent information", as well as "not having to be forced to choose between work and motherhood".
Dignity, concluded Mattarella, "is a country free from mafias, from the blackmail of crime, from the complicity of those who pretend not to see".
BACK TO THE HILLS - After the stop at the Camera, Mattarella, together with Mario Draghi, got on the Lancia Flaminia designed by Pininfarina for his predecessor Gronchi in the 1960s, for a ride through the streets of Rome, greeted by the crowd and accompanied by cuirassiers on horseback, up to the Altare della Patria.
Here he paid homage to the unknown soldier, while the skies of the capital turned green, white and red with the passage of the tricolor arrows.
Then the president returned to the Colle. The second term can begin.
(Unioneonline / Ll.f.)
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