Ambassador of Italy HE Mr Giancarlo Aragona
Lunchtime talk at the House of Commons.
His Excellency has been Ambassador to this country since 2004. He attended the first lunchtime (rather than evening) meeting to be held by the CFCC and talked about foreign relations with the UK.
Italian Domestic Policy
General elections will be held in 8-9 months time. Italy has a bi-polar system but not two main parties as in this country. In Italy the Government is based on a coalition of several parties. This makes for an interesting political dynamic. After ’92 with the change of electoral laws the climate has changed and since there has been a new positive phenomenon - that is governments last longer. At the same time within the stability there is some instability, as is normal in a coalition, created by the inter-play of different actors. The coalitions, albeit one against the other, have very similar approaches in foreign policy, even if with nuances. Both are:
- strongly committed to Europe
- strong Atlanticists.
They believe there is no contradiction here in their belief in a strong commitment to the European project and also being in favour of a very strong alliance with the US. There is a lot of energy devoted to making these components work well.
Italy has had a strong theological attachment to Europe: parliament almost unanimously approved the Constitution – they are more pragmatic and down to earth than in the UK. Within the European context they believe that too many regulations are invasive and the concept of subsidiarity should apply in certain cases. Italy is keen on the enlargement of the EU and they support the entry of Turkey. They try and maintain a fresh approach while remaining strong Europeans: committed while safeguarding national prerogatives (suggested the UK could take a lesson here).
Atlanticism
This has been necessary since the end of the cold war to maintain stability. The threats don’t exist any more and there is no longer the same defensive requirement – the reason is we belong to the same community of values and democracy and are there united by deeper reasons than in the past – we no longer have Soviet pressure.
Iraq
The Centre Left was critical of the intervention in Iraq. Italy is completely committed to projecting stability and democracy outside their own area – as in efforts with peacekeeping. 10,000 troops are committed to peacekeeping, mainly in the Balkans (4,500 in Kosovo and Bosnia, 2,500 in Afghanistan and over 3,000 in Iraq – also smaller contingents in Sudan and the Middle East).
UN
Rules are needed to operate effectively and Italy is therefore committed to the UN and multilateralism in an active way. There are many issues being debated, one of which is that the Security Council should be expanded: the debates have not yielded any result as yet. Italy is in favour of an expanded S.C. but new members must be made accountable through elections, allowing the scrutiny of the General Assembly.
UN needs a good push and reform to live up to the present challenges.
Middle East
Italian foreign policy has traditionally supported Palestinian camps – the present government has adjusted this line positioning Italy in a more balanced stance. This position now allows Italy to speak more forcefully both to the Israelis and the Palestinians. Ariel Sharon has praised Italy as a friend in Europe.
Russia
Still a major player on the international stage – the debate is how better to engage Russia. Italy has very close relations with Russia and HE Giancarlo Aragona was Ambassador to Moscow before his London appointment.
We don’t blind ourselves to the fact there are a lot of problems – coming from a complicated past – Czarist past. Italy recognises that the challenge is to engage Russia as much as possible as its infant democracy develops. It is important to deal with this gigantic country – the supplier of most European energy supplies - and facilitate the development of a shared understanding of common challenges.
Conclusion
Italy’s bilateral relations are excellent. The UK and Italy have enjoyed excellent relations, especially in the last few years. There have been many joint political and economic joint ventures: we share views on many major issues – eg the Middle East etc.
On Europe we need to assess things realistically. The European feeling is different between our countries but Italy and the UK co-operate very well.
Sir Ronald Halstead, Chairman of the CFCC, thanked His Excellency for his most articulate, informed and interesting talk and a number of questions followed; the matter of the Euro being the most contentious.