Mattarella: “The emergency requires punctuality from the EU. Keeping it open implies greater responsibility, freedom is not an individual matter”

By Sergio Mattarella “promptness” of the response of theEuropean Union and, to avoid new closures, a “greater responsibility” of individuals. Why, “freedom is not an individual fact“. While in Italy Concern about the trend of infections is increasing, with an increase in more than 4,500 cases Just yesterday, the head of state once again requested a commitment on the European front, but also recalled the importance of the community’s actions at a time of such difficulty.

The reflections of the President of the Republic emerged during the interview in the Quirinal with the new President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou. “The trend of the health emergency caused by Covid,” he said, “requires the European Union to be very fast in implementing all the necessary measures. That is why I hope that the slowdown attempts will soon be overcome ”. Mattarella’s are very significant words because they arrive even 24 hours later the open confrontation between the European Parliament me advice. At the center of the tirade: the negotiation to reach an agreement on the EU budget 2021-2027 and the Next Generation EU (NGEU) plan, of which the Recovery Fund is the main pillar. In recent hours there has been a stagnation that increases the risk of a slippage of the entire package and on which the European summit on October 15 and 16 will increasingly intervene.

Mattarella, meeting with the Greek president, also spoke about preventive measures. “The need to keep schools, factories and offices open places a greater responsibility on people in preventing and limiting infections,” he said. “Freedom is not an exclusively individual fact, but it is carried out together with others, requiring responsibility and collaboration ”. The Greek president, it was learned, during the meeting in fact cited Mattarella’s sentence addressed to Boris johnson: “We love freedom but also seriousness.” And he underlined the great seriousness of Italians and Greeks to face the pandemic. This is a step that President Mattarella has shown to take into account: the need for citizens to behave in a responsible manner to avoid being forced into a total blockade. The attention of the head of state on this front is maximum: just seven days ago, at the inauguration of the ceremony of Dante Alighieri at the Quirinale, he had expressed his “concern for the trend of infections and victims“.