26 Settembre 2012

Mr. President, I wish to warmly congratulate you on your election to the Presidency of this General Assembly. Rest assured that you have Italy’s full support as you assume your crucial responsibilities in the service of international peace and cooperation.

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Mr. President,

Every day and everywhere, people strive to overcome fear, achieve justice, and persevere through hardship and uncertainty to protect their families and livelihoods and to assure a better future for their children. Governments strive to achieve and preserve peace, justice and prosperity in a world gripped by political tensions, civil wars, and a severe economic and financial crisis. In 2011 the financial markets have shown serious new signs of tension, due primarily to the deterioration of public finances. What we have been experiencing is not a recurrent cyclical imbalance: it is the deepest and worst crisis in the history of the European Union.

Other crises have threatened the European project in the past, but each time the Europeans have found a way to continue down the path on which they embarked more than 50 yeas ago. In his memoirs, Jean Monnet noted that “Europe would be built through crises.” Indeed, it is by solving these crises that Europeans have realized how closely integrated their interests are and how interdependent their economies. Today the world has learnt how essential a viable Europe is to tackling global economic and security challenges, and how important the Euro area is to the recovery of the global economy. Today it is clear that “more Europe” is in the general interest, not just of the Europeans.

We cannot overlook the importance of the measures being taken at the EU level to strengthen governance and fiscal integration, as underlined by President van Rompuy. It is also essential that European Governments deliver at the national level. Italy will continue to do its part to further strengthen fiscal sustainability and enhance potential growth.