The pandemic has left millions dead on the ground and over 88 million people in extreme poverty. But it has given new life to multilateralism as the only way out to govern global processes and a shared sovereignty in the European Union to be applied also to other sectors, from defense to international relations. This is an analysis on which the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel are in full harmony, who discussed it today (remotely) on the second day of the Global Solution Summit 2021.
From pandemic shared sovereignty in the EU
“The EU – says Draghi – has shown its sovereignty in the vaccination campaign and in the production of vaccines, but I think shared sovereignty will affect many other fields: international relations and foreign affairs show how much we need shared sovereignty”. Shortly before, the German Chancellor had hoped that vaccine sharing would also take place in many other fields in the future, from defense to international relations. Our first priority is, in Draghi’s opinion, to defeat the pandemic. This means doing it everywhere and not just in developed countries. “Ensuring that the poorest countries have access to effective vaccines is a moral imperative but – adds the Italian premier – there is also a practical and, if you like, selfish reason. As long as the pandemic rages on, the virus can undergo dangerous mutations that can undermine even the most successful vaccination campaign ”.
Loading…
WHO, for climate 250 thousand deaths between 2030 and 2050
But the battle against the virus, according to Draghi, “cannot divert our attention from the fight against climate change. The polar ice is melting and the sea level is rising. The number of reported natural climate-related disasters has more than tripled since the 1960s. In low- and middle-income countries, natural disasters cost $ 390 billion a year, a shocking figure. The World Health Organization estimates that climate change will cause 250,000 deaths a year between 2030 and 2050 ”. For Draghi, the pandemic has helped bring at least 88 million people into extreme poverty in 2020 and, according to the World Bank, climate change could push another 132 million over the next 10 years with asymmetrical effects especially on younger workers and of women. According to the Prime Minister, «The Next Generation EU program offers a unique opportunity to embrace the environmental transition. But we need to do more globally, for example through the G20’s “Sustainable Finance Working Group” and take decisive action to tackle global inequalities ».
Public and private capital for environmental initiatives
«Italy is co-president of COP26 in partnership with the United Kingdom – add Draghi -. We have two clear goals. The first is to commit to achieving emission reduction targets that are ambitious enough to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees and to achieve net emissions of zero by 2050. The second is to mitigate the potential harms associated with climate change . We need to strengthen our containment measures, for example by speeding up the phasing out of coal. And we must ensure there is a greater inflow of public and private capital towards climate-related initiatives ”. Climate change for Draghi “is a challenge that we must all win together, even the EU is responsible for emissions, but certainly a commitment from all the players in the field is needed. The US joined Paris, I am also thinking of China, which is an important reality at this stage ». And Merkel says that “on the one hand the relationship with China raises concerns”, but adds that “we must continue collaboration on the climate and other global challenges that we cannot face without China. We must cooperate with China even if we have different systems ».
Merkel appreciates the Italian work for the G20
The Chancellor appreciates the Italian work on the G20 and the results of the Global Health Summit, expressing “full support” to Italy for a “successful G20 presidency and for Draghi’s leadership”. The latter recalls that “in the course of its history, Italy has prospered thanks to trade and international cooperation. Opening was our best recipe for success. Our G20 presidency will reflect this longstanding commitment. Together with Germany and the other partners of the G20, we are confident that we can build a stronger world ».