(Finance) – The start this morning at Villa d’Este in Cernobbio on Ambrosetti Forum which, having reached its 49th edition dedicated to the “Scenario of today and tomorrow for competitive strategies”, as usual, returns to the stage in the first weekend of September. Among the topics at the center of the first day the global challenges of the future and the impacts on the economy but also scientific and technological developments. After the opening speech by Valerio De Molli, managing partner and CEO, The European House – Ambrosetti, the protagonist was the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with a video conference contribution.
The first day saw the opening message from the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. “No country on the continent, not even the largest in terms of size or income, can think of a future separate from that of the others: it would be an escape from reality and, even before an illusion, a counterproductive act. It would be an escape from reality to ignore the problems on the global agenda The EU’s ability to be a global political interlocutor needs to be strengthened – he highlighted Mattarella –. Europe is the framework within which our future is built with the gaps that accompany the process of European integration, a factor that also transforms and shapes our social model. Peace and security, as well as the growth and well-being of peoples, pass through the European Union’s ability to represent a factor of stability and attraction for those who believe in the values of freedom, independence and democracy. The traditional Forum, organized by The European House – Ambrosetti, – writes the head of state – by calling political leaders, economic and financial operators, intellectuals and leaders of social forces to a confrontation on a supranational scale, constitutes an interesting opportunity to reflect on the scenarios placed before us and on the lines of action useful for advancing the entire European Union, a primary condition of sustainability for the member countries. The challenges we are facing are increasingly complex. It can be argued that the global financial crises, the unprecedented features of geopolitical competition, the experience of the pandemic, the climate crisis, the war itself caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, have constituted a slowdown in globalisation. But it certainly cannot be deduced that interdependence has been reduced by this. The challenges we are facing are increasingly complex. It would be an escape from reality to ignore the issues on the global agenda. The Conference on the future of Europe has opened the building site for a reform which will inevitably have to improve the existing Treaties”.
There key day is scheduled for Sunday with political leaders and a large part of the Government present with the closure of the Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti. There will be no premier Giorgia Meloni who, in a first draft of the programme, was among the guests on Saturday. This day is dedicated to Europe which will see a series of panels with speeches, among others, by Joseph Borrell, high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, foreign minister Antonio Tajani and the European Commissioner for the Economy, Paul Gentiloni.
There will be no focus: this year on United States. Also at the center of the debate is the role of Saudi Arabia in the international order with an intervention of the investment minister, Khalid Al Falih. Saturday we will also talk about the future European structure with a comparison between the former secretary of the Democratic Party Enrico Letta, Balazs Orbán, political director of the Prime Minister of Hungary and the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Laurence Boone.
Concentrated, as usual, theSunday agenda with Italy as protagonist. We start with the opposition and the interventions of Calenda, Conte and Schlein. Then a series of panels with the former ministers Giovannini, Franco (EIB candidate), Brunette (now at the presidency of Cnel) ei ministers Urso, Nordio, Piantedosi, Zangrillo, Valditara, Casellati, Bernini, Pichetto Fratinthe deputy premier and head of infrastructure Salvini, Calderone, Fitto. And finally, to close the three days, Giorgetti.
Zelensky’s intervention – “Our collaboration with Italy is essential every day and we have never had any doubts about the strength of Italy’s decisions towards us with respect to support for Ukraine – he said Zelensky in video link at The European House-Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio –. We want to thank Italy for the political support it has given us and also the EU for supporting our candidacy and commitments to guarantee the security of our country. I am sure that this is the time for strong decisions for our security and for Europe. We clearly see who the enemy is. There is no force on the other side of the front, they are just committing crimes against humanity, the world sees all this. Who sees strength in a missile launched against a plane flying in absolute peace, who sees strength in a leader who has to move around his own country in an armored vehicle? We see weakness, not strength, even when they are trying to wreak havoc in Africa. They are not proving to be strong, but to distract the world. Terror does not mean strength. If it is true that Putin killed Prigozhin – we are still waiting for confirmation of this – he is further showing us his weakness. Promising certain guarantees to Prigozhin and then killing him means how weak Putin’s words are. It is impossible to go and negotiate with Putin because he cannot keep his own words and promises. All this confirms that we cannot trust Putin and that his word is worthless. He was afraid of Prigozhin and therefore handled him as we have seen. Without Crimea, without Donbass and the occupied territories there will be no sustainable peace in Ukraine and therefore not even in the European area. Ukraine being a civilized nation does not recognize the part of Crimea which belongs to the Russian federation, other countries do not recognize this and therefore the situation is not sustainable and there will be permanent chaos, this is what Russia is looking for. This can be resolved diplomatically or militarily. Should Russian troops leave the peninsula without further pressure, it would save lives.”