A couple of weeks ago, a large number of young greens, members of the FYEG, meet in Rome in order to discuss our future as young greens and about the greens future. We were in Rome, the wonderful capital of a wonderful country such as Italy, a country that as many other countries in Europe such as Spain, has got: a clown for president – Silvio Berlusconi.
Berlusconi represents the kind of politics and society that we as young greens fight against. That kind of politics made of personalism, of non-democratic laws, those kind of politicians close to high economic interests and far from the citizens. A president who has joined Vladimir Putin to say, as EU president, that he was in favour of Chechnya’s war. A president close to Mafia leaders such as Vittorio Mangano. Berlusconi started as president of the European Union last year with a real bad European press opinion. He was not able to reach the main objective of his 6 months presidency: to have a concensus about the European Constitution. He was really criticised because of his laws to protect himself from the law courts. His presidency has been characterisized by his scandalous laws and his pathetic shows such as the one in the European parlament where he had an argument with the German MP Martin Schulz, which he accused to be like the “Capo” of a concentration nazi camp. Berlusconi’s presidency represented that kind of Europe that we young greens don’t want: the right-wing Europe that puts emphasis on economic power and not on environment or social policies.
During his second government, Berlusconi has suffered from three general strikes, he has involved Italy in Iraq’s war, he has promoted private and religious education and his economic policies have caused even more poverty and unemployement in the country. We as young greens were in Rome to show that another way to deal with politics is possible. During our seminar and our discussions we were there to say that another Europe is possible, a Europe far from what Berlusconi represents. One single thing shows this clearly: our common migration campaign. We were also in Italy to make our migration proposals heard and our suitcase seen in a country that, together with Spain, has got the most restrictive and anti-human rights migration law.
We also have to remember the demonstration against Silvio Berlusconi during the EGP congress by some European green MPs led by the Italian greens president Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, showing that they payed their taxes and that they were proud of it. In Rome we discussed about how to make a greener Europe, a Europe based in sustainibility and social justice. We discussed about how to make a different Europe, more democratic and close to citizens.
We were in Rome to build a Europe far from Berlusconi.