Italy’s new prime minister vowed to bring radical change to the country, including more generous welfare and a crackdown on immigration, as the two party bosses who hold the keys to his anti-establishment government nodded their approval.
The new government won the needed approval.
In his maiden speech, Conte said that “the political forces that make up the majority of this government have been accused of being ‘populist’ and ‘anti-system’ […] If ‘populism’ means the ruling classes listening to the needs of the people [and] if ‘anti-system’ means aiming to introduce an new system that does away with old privileges and encrusted power, then these political forces deserve both those terms”, said Conte.
About Europe, Conte said “Europe is our home. As a founding member we have every right to demand a stronger, fairer Europe in which the economic and monetary union is geared towards protecting the needs of its citizens, to balance the principles of responsibility and solidarity more effectively.
On immigration he said “The first test of the new way we want to negotiate with our European partners will be the issue of immigration. It’s clear to everyone that the management of migrant flows has been a failure: Europe has allowed many member states selfish border closures, which have ended up burdening frontline states and especially our country, with costs and difficulties that should have been shared.”
“We will call strongly for the Dublin Regulation to be overhauled in order to ensure that the principle of fair distribution of responsibilities is respected, and to achieve an automatic system of obligatory resettlement of asylum seekers.” He added, “We want the procedures determining refugee status to be definite and swift, in order to guarantee their rights more effectively too.”
He also spoke about employment. “We want to build a new social pact that is transparent and fair. We want to give voice to the many young people who can’t find work and are forced to move abroad or remain here unemployed, [and] to the many women – often better educated and more determined than men – who are still lower paid and unacceptably discriminated against in the workplace, and feel alone when they decide to have a child.”
