The grief, the sadness, the regret of having lost a friend, a faithful servant of the institutions, a kind colleague as well as a convinced European. In some cases, respect in the face of the disappearance of an ever loyal political opponent. There is all this in the flood of messages of condolence that accompanied the spread of the news of the death of David Sassoli, a leading member of the Democratic Party and outgoing president of the European Parliament.
The moving memory of the dem leader Enrico Letta
Among the first, particularly heartfelt the memory of the secretary dem, Enrico Letta, in a moving interview with Tg1 Rai. For him, Sassoli was “a brother, a friend”, “a very important and fundamental reference”, who as president of the EU Parliament “changed European history”, managing during the Covid emergency to keep the institution he led open “In the most incredible moment in the history of our continent”. An example “of the high value of politics as a maximum commitment of charity. This is above all what he leaves us today, it is very hard for all of us to imagine that he is no longer there and to move forward ”.
But the words chosen by another dem leader are also moved, Paolo Gentiloni, current EU commissioner and former Italian premier. “He had the gift of clarity, he spoke very clearly, he cared about values. His obsession with making the European Parliament work was not organizational, he wanted to let people know that Europe is based on democracy, on citizens’ vote, otherwise Europe will not work “, explained Gentiloni to Radio Anch’io recalling Sassoli. “He had a great humanity, an explosive, contagious laugh. We have had a lot of laughs in these two years in Brussels. We had both lost the primary to be mayor of Rome, he better than me, we laughed at many things. We’ll miss him”.
“Another former premier and former president of the EU Commission, Romano Prodi, underlines the “great void” that Sassoli leaves, a “passionate, loyal, intelligent politician, capable of reconciling two qualities that are difficult to match in politics: serenity and firmness in principles”.
Mattarella: “He gave voice to the expectations of European citizens”
The commitment to the European ideal is also at the center of the memory of the Head of State, Sergio Mattarella. “The clear, constant, passionate commitment” of Sassoli “has contributed to making the Strasbourg assembly the protagonist of the political debate in a very delicate phase,”. Among his many merits, Mattarella recalls, also that of having “been able to accompany a decisive turning point for the future of Europe: from civil and social rights, to dialogue with other countries, starting with the Mediterranean. Also with the commitment to the Conference on the future of the Union ”.