Mattarella: risk of conflict widening is dramatically present

A 'dramatically present' risk. For Mattarella, on a state visit to Bulgaria, the danger of the conflict in the Middle East spreading is not a remote hypothesis but, in fact, entered among the possible options. And so at the end of his conversation with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, he recounts the gist of their reasoning. "We talked about the dramatic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, about the risk of the conflict spreading: a risk that is dramatically present. And we talked about the only possible solution, which is that of 'two states and two peoples''.

In Sofia, in the presidential palace, the two presidents' thrust goes in the direction of a solution that remains the one that has always been hypothesised for Israel and the Palestinians, but now there is the variable Iran to complicate the picture. "We must find a way to define a stable condition for peace," Mattarella repeats, recalling that "Italy and Bulgaria are together in NATO for peace and security." And indeed today they will be together at the military base of Novo Selo and meet the Italian contingent of Multinational Battlegroup Bulgaria. One stop on their way back to Rome.

But if war scenarios occupy most of the exchanges between the two presidents, Europe and its prospects remain at the centre of the conversation and - as we can see - also in the debate between the European leaders. Here, on this point, Mattarella remains of the opinion that it has become more urgent to accelerate 'the choices to make the EU more and more cohesive, more solid, more capable of playing a leading role in the world and therefore with the need to take important steps'. Reflections on which he has been insisting for some time but which yesterday were coordinated with Draghi's speech, two days ago, on the need for a 'radical change' of the Union in order to remain on the scene. And the Head of State says it with the same clarity, touching precisely the key of competitiveness, which is what the former Italian prime minister is working on: "In the EU Council of the next few hours," said the Head of State, "we are already talking about some important topics such as competitiveness in the EU: an element that allows, by developing it properly, to offer opportunities for the future of young people. Indeed, it is a sign that the harmony on the topics of Europe has remained strong between the two.

But yesterday Mattarella wanted to give Italy's support for Bulgaria's entry into the euro area, hoping that the conditions would be created quickly and also for 'full entry into the Schengen area'. Lastly, he repeated what he had already said about the migrants pact, promoting it because it 'overcomes Dublin and governs a growing phenomenon with order and not in a disorganised manner as is the case today'.