HOW ITALIANS SEE EUROPE
Italians see with confidence to the future of Europe, which they consider a reference point in the search for effective solutions to the problems of the economy, labor, welfare, environmental protection and personal rights. This is the result of a public consultation on the future of Europe, the first of its kind in Italy, promoted by the CNEL, launched on February 1st and ended on March 25th last, to which 13,417 Italians, including thousands of young people, responded spontaneously.
The first public consultation was held based on Article 10 (reinforced procedures) of the new Regulations of the Bodies of the National Council for Economics and Labour (CNEL), approved by the Assembly of 12 July 2018, which in paragraph 1, letter c) provides for “public consultation open to all citizens, through the institutional website” to obtain the opinion of citizens on a topic of general interest.
The procedure was activated “upon proposal of the President after hearing the Presidential Council” at the meeting of 30 January 2019, with the consequent acceptance of the Assembly on the same date. The consultation questionnaire was defined at the Bureau meeting of 18 December 2018 and approved by the Board of Directors on 30 January 2019.
Article 10 of the Regulation of CNEL Bodies states that upon conclusion of the consultation “the General Secretary will prepare reviews of the observations received, in the framework of the preliminary documentation to be submitted to the Assembly”. It must therefore be considered from the outset that the public consultation, which in itself has a high citizen participation value, assumes for the Board the nature of a preliminary investigation of particular importance, as an element of evaluation for subsequent resolutions of the Assembly.
“We are convinced that the strengthening of the European project and the unity among the member states is necessary to strive towards the objectives upon which the Union is founded, and it can guarantee both well-being and sustainable development and the values of solidarity and democracy”, said Tiziano Treu President of Cnel.
A first general datum that emerges from the consultation carried out is that Italian citizens do not seem to have failed to favour European Union policies, a favour that has characterized them for decades and that indeed emerges a strong will of participation and involvement in public decision-making processes. Public consultation by its nature is an exercise in voluntary participation. Therefore, it does not give rise to a representative sample.
“However, the large adhesion to the compilation of the questionnaire appears significant in itself. To this is added a general greater favour for the development of fundamental rights connected with the development of the Union, for a social Europe, with policies more targeted to social needs, equal opportunities, free movement for study and work. Less enthusiasm is found for the political- institutional dimension, for a common defence, for competition and monetary union. Finally, it should be emphasized that, with the consultation covered by this Report, CNEL has been able to interpret the traditional role of listening to citizens through the social parts represented in it, also taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the new forms of communication that characterize our times, in order to maximize the effectiveness of its action”, wrote CNEL Secretary General Paolo Peluffo.
“At the same time, Europe has become increasingly necessary because in the world the two giants (USA and CHINA) have grown immensely and the relationship between the two powers has totally changed”, told Romano Prodi at the results presentation.
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