“My journey within +Europa must end here”. With a post Federico Pizzarotti announces his farewell to the party. The reason? The alliance with Matteo Renzi in the European elections. Defined as “anomalous” and not shared. Hence, the decision to leave + Europa and move on to Action Carlo Calenda candidate in the next European elections. “It will be our point of reference in the North-East,” says the leader at a press conference, welcoming the new member.
Pizzarotti’s post
Pizzarotti entrusts his announcement to social media: “This is a difficult message and one that I didn’t think I would find myself writing, since it carries with it an emotional weight that only those who have lived our adventure can fully understand. From the beginning, my entry into +Europa, a choice made by virtue of the historic battles for individual rights and freedoms and for the initiatives undertaken together over the years, had the objective of making the party grow in the territories and adding themes, initiatives and new intentions. However, in recent times, I have witnessed a series of choices and directions taken by our secretary that I cannot agree with and which, reluctantly, I cannot support – he explains – This alliance, anomalous for me, with Italia Viva is contaminating the More Europe initiative with a way of understanding politics – that of Cuffaro and his candidates, of the wife of Mastella or the network of Cesaro in Campania – not very “European” and very distant from our way of doing politics and our original mission”.
An alliance, according to Pizzarotti, “which did not put European issues or families at the centre, but the sole intent of exceeding the 4% threshold and electing someone. After animated discussions and a very personal examination of conscience, I have come to the painful conclusion that my journey within the party must end here”, concludes the post. Then at the press conference with the leader of Action in the Chamber, Pizzarotti adds: “We support ‘We are Europeans'” Calenda’s manifesto for the European elections. “I could have been a candidate as president of Più Europa, no one would have said no to me. But I preferred to sail on the open sea.”
Calenda and the break with +Europa
For Calenda, the break with +Europa “is incomprehensible. It’s sad because there is an obvious compatibility between us and them, for a long time we collaborated and worked together. I still haven’t understood what really happened: we are both part of ALDE, we care about the ‘United States of Europe’ so much so that we also called our list again ‘We are Europeans’. But beyond the names there is the substance: we will make a list with two values in first place, the quality of the candidates, with the best ones to follow the dossiers in the various areas, and the coherence – says Calenda again – With our seven partners, in fact, together with whom we will show the symbol on 17 April, we will all go to the same European political group and we all have the same line on Ukraine, green deal and industrial policy, and this is very important.”
The secretary of +Europa responds, Riccardo Magi: “More Europe has undertaken a democratic path for the definition of the agreement for the United States of Europe list at the European elections. In the national assembly which was held last weekend, the secretary’s motion, which committed him together with the president to continue supporting the project launched by Emma Bonino, was approved with 70 votes in favour, no against and 13 abstentions. In light of this clear result, Pizzarotti decided to leave the party, where he had arrived just over a year ago. This is the end of a misunderstanding, that is, that there was a real split within the party, which the vote in the assembly dispelled – comments Magi – As for coherence and credibility, Calenda does not seem to us to be the most qualified to give lessons. As far as we are concerned, our electoral campaign will be on the issues of Europe and European federalism and not on these controversies”, he concludes.
Schedule for the European Championships?
And will Carlo Calenda be a candidate for the next European elections? “I had proposed a pact with Tajani so that no leader would run, it seems to have had an effect… Now all the leaders are about to run. But since I think it’s wrong, I really want to wait until the last minute to see if there is space not to run. 0 a true and open reflection, I want to understand what the other leaders are doing, those who have not yet dissolved their reservation, but my inclination is negative – explains Calenda – And it doesn’t even mean that if everyone runs I will I too, I don’t want to give the impression that I’m not putting my mind to it because I’m already spinning like a crazy top, but I want someone to apply who will actually go to Europe.” But Calenda is already thinking about the post-election period. “From the day after the European elections, Action made the commitment to open a building site to build a party that unites the republicans, the popular, the liberals. We want to build a great Party of the Republic inspired by the values of the first part of the Constitution. There is a field to be reconstructed which is much broader than what is defined as left. There is an area of popularism which with Conte it does not have anything to do with it. We don’t agree with the M5S. Then I seem to understand that we are the last problem in the wide field. Bipolarism will fall on Ukraine. When the situation is more difficult we will be where we have always been”, comments the Action leader.
Other new entries with Action
Together with Pizzarotti they also pass with Action Piercamillo Falascaformer deputy secretary of +Europa e Concetta Biancoformer coordinator of the +Europa Chieti group, both of whom resigned from their respective positions this morning.
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– 2024-04-10 14:48:03
