Quando è all’estero Bersani va più a destra di Monti

Più a destra dell’agenda Monti. Ecco l’intervista che prova che Bersani ci ha venduto alla Germania

Cosa dice di grave Bersani? La prima è che è favorevole ad un irrigidimento del fiscal compact, il patto sul bilancio che impegna a tagli di spesa pubblica di decine di miliardi l’anno per un ventennio. La seconda è che impegna l’Italia ad ulteriori politiche di austerità. Fin qui siamo a Monti forse con qualche parola più cruda sull’irrigidimento del fiscal compact. Ma dove Bersani, nel tentativo di accreditarsi in Europa, riesce a superare a destra Mario Monti è sulla questione del commissario unico europeo. Si tratta di una figura, già oggetto di trattativa nei precedenti round europei, che avrebbe potere di veto sulla stesura dei singoli bilanci nazionali. Per cui se un paese decidesse di finanziare scuola, sanità, servizi sociali, in autonomia nazionale, questa figura avrebbe potere di bloccare una decisione sovrana. Il più convinto artefice di questa proposta, che ha incontrato il favore di Barroso, è il superministro tedesco dell’economia Schauble. Monti, diplomaticamente, nelle settimane scorse aveva fatto scivolar via questa proposta (assieme ad altri paesi). Monti è un uomo di destra, convinto di svendere il paese, ma sa che la cessione di sovranità va sempre saputa trattare con accortezza.

E cosa ti fa Bersani? Per accreditarsi in Europa si dice pronto ad accettare la proposta Schauble. Al Financial Times Bersani si dice pronto ad accettare la cessione di sovranità. Ovviamente si bada bene dal dirlo all’elettorato italiano. Qui è da considerare una cosa. Esistono due tipi di cessione di sovranità: una, quella con contropartite, fa parte di un processo di integrazione continentale. L’altra, senza contropartite, spiace dirlo ma si chiama resa ad una potenza straniera. Nessun dubbio che Bersani voglia incarnare i panni del nuovo Pétain che, a suo tempo, decise che la resa praticamente senza contropartite alla Germania fosse l’unica strada razionalmente praticabile.

pubblichiamo in integrale l’intervista al Financial Times non essendo possibile un accesso diretto al link

(red) 27 dicembre 2012

Link: Bersani al Financial Times: Quando sarò al governo non rinegozierò Fiscal Compact. Vendola è avvisato.

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Last updated: December 26, 2012 5:12 pm
Bersani wants growth-oriented Europe

By James Fontanella-Khan in Brussels
©Bloomberg

The leader of Italy’s centre-left, and the frontrunner to be the country’s next prime minister, says he would be ready to cede more sovereign powers to Brussels over government spending – in exchange for greater freedom to boost key economic sectors.

Pier Luigi Bersani, whose Democratic party has a strong lead in opinion polls ahead of elections next February, says he is open to supporting an ambitious German plan for EU control over national budgets, while stressing that it is essential for Europe to take more aggressive steps to revive economic growth.

“The first thing that we should and can do is tighten budget constraints, but allow more gradual investments,” Mr Bersani, 61, told the Financial Times during a day of meetings with top EU officials in Brussels last week.

“I am ready to discuss – if it will be my turn to run the country – how to strengthen the mechanism of fiscal discipline to monitor national budgets in exchange for new policies aimed at stimulating the economy,” he added.

Mr Bersani said a “currency commissioner” wielding power over member states’ budgets – as proposed by Wolfgang Schäuble, German finance minister – would not be his favourite option. But he agreed with the principle illustrated by Mr Schäuble and was ready to work with Germany to create a new body with powers to intervene if a country broke fiscal rules.

“I am ready to reason over such a plan. It doesn’t scare me as long as the intention is to build confidence and allow us, in a controlled and selective manner, more expansionary policies,” he said.

The former communist, who was one of the most pragmatic and cautiously reformist ministers in Italy’s last centre-left government from 2006 to 2008, said he was not worried about loss of sovereignty, tacitly acknowledging that Brussels played a more important role than national governments over economic policy.

However, Mr Bersani – whose party supported Mario Monti’s technocrat government for 13 months until the prime minister’s resignation last Friday – made it clear that he wanted to play a leading role at the EU level, and asserted his intention to respect and give continuity to decisions taken by Mr Monti to tackle the eurozone crisis.

“I do not want to renegotiate the fiscal compact or any of the agreements reached over the last year. However, we need to look forward,” said Mr Bersani. “On the back of greater fiscal discipline among all members I’m in favour of gradually loosening austerity measures in a selective manner.”

“Now I’d like Europe to focus on growth and fighting the recession with the same tenacity that it defended the monetary union. Otherwise austerity, which is needed, on its own could become risky in the long run.”

Mr Bersani was in Brussels in an attempt to boost his international standing, and his meetings with senior officials appeared to allay concerns over Italy’s elections and the attempted comeback by Silvio Berlusconi, former prime minister and leader of the centre-right People of Liberty.

Jean-Claude Juncker, chairman of the Eurogroup of finance ministers, was quoted by Italian media as saying that Mr Bersani “appears to have the best intentions for Italy”.

Nonetheless, in Italy questions remain over Mr Bersani’s freedom of manoeuvre in a party comprising diverse factions and influenced by the main leftwing trade union federation – which blocked Mr Monti’s labour reforms – as well as its electoral alliance with the smaller Left Ecology Freedom party.

Mr Bersani counters by stressing his European credentials over the years.

“I have helped Italy join the euro, I am the secretary-general of the most pro-European party of Italy, and I have supported all the policies and reforms that Europe has asked us to do over the years,” he says, smoking his trademark Toscano cigar.

“We want to accelerate the integration process as a remedy to fight the recession that is hurting the whole of Europe. So far we have taken some important steps forwards but more has to be done.”

Mr Bersani rejects the populist, anti-German stance adopted by Mr Berlusconi.

“I am not going to quarrel with Germany. I want Italy to have a serious, frank and friendly relationship with Germany based on rational and realistic arguments,” Mr Bersani said. “In fact I agree with many of the criticisms Germany makes to countries like Italy because I made the same criticism to Mr Berlusconi.”

Mr Bersani says tough fiscal discipline is non-negotiable, but he wants to reach agreement with Germany to find a way to increase spending for infrastructure and innovation-centred projects.

He wants more equity and attention to social cohesion, and intends to continue Mr Monti’s drive for a deeper mutualisation of European debt through the issuance of Eurobonds, a development opposed by Angela Merkel, the Germany chancellor.

But unless more was done to harmonise the economic discrepancies that emerged during the debt crisis, then there was a risk that anti-European movements would gain traction and threaten the EU project altogether, Mr Bersani warned.

28 Dicembre 2012 - © Riproduzione possibile DIETRO ESPLICITO CONSENSO della REDAZIONE di CONTROPIANO