Europe, a priority for the Italian president

In an interview with Philippe Broussard, Vanja Luksic and Paola Genone, the newly elected [May 10] Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, expresses his desire to see Rome make Europe a priority once again. He adds that he does not think Italy is any worse off than some of its neighbours. "The centre left often criticised the previous government [for not caring enough about Europe]. It is true that we did not get the sense of any sort of coherent commitment to Europe on the part of the previous government. Even if Italy was among the first to ratify the constitutional treaty, this is not enough. Traditionally in Italy, there has always been a balance between European commitment and a friendly relationship with the United States. But Europe must now be the priority again. ... Insofar as concerns the competitivity and modernisation of the social state, the deficits of the Italian economy are similar to those of France and Germany."

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