Letta: Recovery funds ‘properly’ to avoid EU North’s criticism

EU southern member states should spend the money from the Recovery Fund “properly” so paymaster northern EU states do not say it was a bad move, Enrico Letta told EURACTIV Italy. He also backed the new German government’s push for a federal Europe.

“If Italy failed on this, it would be a disaster for Europe. Then, the northern member states would argue that the EU should not have given the money, as they did not spend it well,” said Enrico Letta, secretary of the Democratic Party currently in Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s coalition government.

He stressed that it would be a strong counterargument against public investment plans at the EU level and noted that structured public investments were needed.

He added that the EU recovery fund could mark the beginning of an EU tax system.

He also welcomed the new German government commitment to build a federal Europe saying Germany and Italy can work together “to mobilise the citizens and the Democratic Party together on the Conference on the future of Europe.”

The Conference on the Future of Europe is a deliberative democracy experiment at the EU level where 800 citizens elected randomly work out recommendations to discuss and vote with lawmakers.

“This event in Florence wants to be a kick-off for a general mobilisation to introduce in our politics deliberative democracy exercises,” said Letta, referring to the S&D group meeting in Florence last Saturday.

(Eleonora Vasques | EURACTIV.it)