Prime Minister Mario Draghi visited the Permanent Representation to greet staff on the occasion of his last European Council. Please find below the courtesy translation of his speech. Click here for the video (in italian).
Good morning to you all,
It is a great pleasure to greet you on the occasion of my last trip to Brussels as President of the Council of Ministers.
I want to thank Ambassador Benassi, Ambassador Talò, Ambassador Genuardi and all of you for the service you render to Italy every day.
In these months, I have had the opportunity to get to know even better the qualities of the Italian diplomatic corps – its professionalism, its competence, its spirit of service.
You represent Italy and defend the national interest in complex negotiations, with intelligence and determination.
You do this especially here in Brussels, where so many decisive games are being played for the well-being of our country, of our fellow citizens.
Membership of the European Union and NATO are cornerstones of our foreign policy.
The single market, the monetary union, the Atlantic alliance are the best way to strengthen our weight in the world, to grow our economy in a sustainable way, to guarantee our security.
We fully share European and transatlantic values and want to continue to protect and strengthen them.
I am thinking of the protection of social and civil rights, in particular of minorities, the defence of the democratic sovereignty of states, the pursuit of negotiation and peace as a means of conflict resolution.
These principles are even more important when dealing with the crises we are going through: from the war in Ukraine to the energy emergency.
Within these alliances, Italy must play a leading role.
We must bring forward our ideas, because we have the European interest at heart as well as the national interest.
The credibility we have acquired in recent years is the best tool to achieve the results we aspire to.
The alliances we have forged and continue to forge convince us that we are on the right side.
In this process, your role is crucial.
As an Italian citizen, even before being Prime Minister, I am deeply grateful to you.
Automated courtesy translation
