2 June celebration, Mattarella writes to prefects: 'Let it be a moment of unity and concord'

"I renew to the Prefects and, through them, to all those who work to serve the common good, sentiments of appreciation and esteem, together with best wishes for good work, in the hope that the celebrations of 2 June will be a moment of unity and harmony around the values of the Republic". This was emphasised by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in a message just sent to the prefects of Italy on the occasion of the feast of 2 June.

With the referendum of 2 June 1946, Mattarella recalled, 'the free vote of the Italian people for the Republic - with the participation, for the first time, of women - crowned the fight for Liberation from Nazi-Fascism, the 80th anniversary of which falls this year, and was the premise of the Constitution. That pact between the people and institutions, founded on the principles of freedom, democracy and solidarity, inspired by the centrality of human dignity and work, was able to achieve, with the concurrence of plural positions and cultures, a synthesis of shared values and to initiate the reconstruction and social and economic revival of Italy'.

For the Head of State, the task of concretely implementing the constitutional ideals, 'to bring them alive' in society as a constant criterion inspiring choices, 'is a mission that has never been exhausted, entrusted every day first and foremost to the care of those who, with dedication and competence, work in the institutions and in civil society. Indeed, the Constitution entrusts each citizen with the responsibility of contributing to the social cohesion of the country. In the various spheres of action, there is a commitment to ensure effective fullness of rights, with efficient services, legality and security'.

For Mattarella, it is therefore essential to 'promote initiatives and projects that favour the development of the different areas of the country, enhance their cultural and environmental richness, address the territorial gaps and the problems of the large urban centres as well as the inland areas, and solicit the efforts of those invested with public responsibilities'.

The President of the Republic then addressed the prefects directly, thanking them for the work they do in the service of the State. "The national community is grateful to you for the balanced work that, together with the other institutional actors, you carry out by preventing and combating all forms of crime and violence, ensuring the peaceful exercise of citizens' freedoms," Mattarella said. In the support to local authorities, especially in times of administrative and financial crisis, in the interventions to overcome the emergencies that affect the territories, in the management of the migration phenomenon, in the work carried out during elections, the network of Prefectures is a valuable resource at the service of the principle of unity of the country and the enhancement of its institutional and social autonomies'.