European Declaration by Enrico Letta

20 June 2013

In Rome for his first press conference to the foreign press, the Italian head of government Enrico Letta delivered a strong plea in support of Europe. He said he hoped to turn Italy into a "more pro-European country", "at the forefront of the building of the United States of Europe".

The priority in doing this is banking union, said the Italian head of government, which is "fundamental for savers, businesses and for Europe's reliability". Another absolute priority was the fight against youth unemployment, which will be the decisive theme of the next summit in Brussels and which has to be addressed in his opinion "in view of the European elections next year". "If we return from Brussels with a weak, routine message we shall be creating the conditions for a future European Parliament that will be the most anti-European in the history of the European Union", he warned.

The Italian head of government also insisted on the importance of a trade agreement between the US and Europe, deeming that the cultural exception should not "lead to us missing this historic opportunity".

Full press conference (Italian)

© Government of Italy