Speaking to Fanpage.it, Nicola Procaccini, co-president of the European Conservatives (ECR) group in the European Parliament representing the Brothers of Italy party, discussed Trump’s positions, Musk’s comments, and the situation in Ukraine, among other topics. He spoke on the sidelines of the “ECR Study Days,” four days of seminars organized by the European Conservatives to discuss the issues at the heart of the EU debate.
It tells us what we already knew: that the European Union is going through a crisis, the result of a dramatic demographic decline and mass immigration that is difficult to control and manage, and this naturally leads to a distortion of its essence.
There’s no call for a European disintegration. Rather, there’s a call for a strengthening of the European Union. A strengthening of defense as well. These are even obvious considerations, which don’t bother me at all. Of course, they’re written in sometimes blunt language, but I don’t perceive anything wrong with them.
But that document almost places European states at a crossroads: either continue down this path—it says—with antidemocratic supranational institutions that repress freedom of thought, or cultivate a direct relationship with the United States. Is this a crossroads the Italian government also faces, or not?
There’s a passage in that document that I find particularly significant. It states that the European Union is “vital” to the United States of America, both culturally and strategically. I believe this is a recognition of the importance and strength of this relationship. To maintain a relationship, of course, we also need to avoid poking each other in the face, as some unfortunately seem tempted to do.
How does it feel, for a member of a party that claims to be patriotic, to hear Elon Musk compare Europe to the Fourth Reich , saying that there is no freedom of expression in Europe because a platform was fined for violating rules passed by European parties (including yours, by the way)?
Of course, these are words I don’t agree with, but I also understand the anger behind them. It’s true that the European Union has equipped itself with tools that we all share in some way, but be careful how these tools are used. Because if they’re used to politically combat individuals reduced to adversaries, they distort the very purpose of those tools.
