A new Marshall Plan for Europe? ECR Italian Members ask the CoR President to prioritize economic aid and recovery
On Friday, the 8th of May, the Italian delegation in the ECR Group in the European Committee of the Regions held a teleconference with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas. In the meeting, the plans for a sweeping economic recovery following the covid-19 pandemic were discussed. Our local and regional politicians from Italy made the point that it is critical that small and medium sized enterprises are supported by the EU, as they are the backbone of the local and regional economies that Europeans depend on everyday for their consumer goods, employment, and livelihoods.
Participating in the meeting with the CoR President were our Members Matteo Bianchi MP (Councillor in Morazzone), Roberto Ciambetti (President of Veneto Regional Council), Mario Guarente (Mayor of Potenza), Michele Pais (President of Sardinia Regional Council) and Federico Martegani (Councillor in Tradate).
The European Commission estimates that the economic activity of the EU will fall by 7.5% following the end of the coronavirus pandemic. This will most adversely affect industries that require consumers to have disposable income, among the worst affected will be tourism. Nations like Italy depend on tourism as a vital source of income, for not only their national but also for their regional and local economies as well.
Our members wanted two goals to be the focus of the EU budget. The first, a strong decentralised Cohesion Policy and second, a bold economic aid package for SMEs, which are the critical lifeline of national economies. As the Marshall plan rebuilt Europe from the destruction of World War Two, a similar spirit of collective action complemented with bold economic aid and interventions is needed to help Europe recover once again.
As important as a speedy economic recovery, Europe must also remain steadfast to its principles of local government and subsidiarity. This point was raised by the head of the Italian delegation in the ECR Group, Matteo Bianchi MP. Mr. Bianchi stressed that many observers have focused on Hungary, while in Italy (and other EU Member States) the powers of the legislature have been weakened as the Italian government relies more on a centralised executive for decision making.