Ukraine, Der Spiegel: “Italy’s central role, Draghi reigns in two worlds”

«On the special train to Kiev, Draghi’s delegation occupied the first carriages. Italy in the lead, it hadn’t happened for a long time ». This is one of the passages of the long article published yesterday that the German weekly Der Spiegel dedicates to the experience of Mario Draghi’s government on the eve of the G7 in Elmau, Germany. The article, which contains interviews with Minister Vittorio Colao and the Prime Minister’s Economic Adviser, Francesco Giavazzi, underlines the central role of the Italian Prime Minister at the international level, recounting the trip to Kiev together with the leaders of France and Germany. “His delegation has occupied the first three carriages at the front of the train. Emmanuel Macron follows in the center, with Olaf Scholz sitting in the back. Italy first of all, it hadn’t happened in Europe for decades, ”writes Der Spiegel, adding that unlike his colleagues in Berlin and Paris, the prime minister has been fighting for Ukraine’s accession to the EU for weeks. “We have to move forward as soon as possible,” he said in May. During the trip to Kiev, he “reiterated this position to Scholz and Macron”. According to Der Spiegel, the Prime Minister “reigns in two worlds. On the international stage, he is a model European with a clear transatlantic course. As a former head of the European Central Bank, he fights with credibility and authority for the cohesion of the EU. His role in international negotiations is central and his decades of experience is required. In Rome, on the other hand, there is the Prime Minister, therefore an Italian title, and the terrain is uncertain, even if the conditions are better than ever: almost 200 billion euros of Covid aid from the EU reconstruction plan are available for Italy – in exchange for far-reaching reforms “. Reforms for which, explains Der Spiegel, Draghi “demands speed”. His goal is “to catapult its economy to the forefront of the EU”.