Mattarella: 'Young people feel more detached from the life of institutions'

"I do not share at all the frequent remarks of mistrust or criticism that some, fortunately few, of my generation and the next generation arrive at towards the young. On the contrary, I see in the rising generation a greater number of positive elements than previous generations had, of a sense of responsibility, of awareness, of reference values, of a willingness to build a better condition of coexistence. This is something that gives me great confidence. I am convinced that Italy will benefit greatly from the responsibility, motivation, participation, and courage of young people'. These were the words of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, during a dialogue with the under-35s, 'Ne parliamo con il Presidente', broadcast on the Rai networks on the occasion of 2 June.

the Head of State observed that "young people feel more and express to a greater extent the discomfort for the detachment that is felt with respect to the life of the institutions. A detachment that seems to me to be mainly due to the attenuation, sometimes the lack, of opportunities for confrontation, not of propaganda from afar, but of close confrontation between citizens and institutions in order to address, by confronting each other, the general issues of the country, the specific issues of the territories'. This 'creates that disaffection that we often complain about. So the feeling that the participation of young people for Italia is increasing is great news'.

Mattarella then emphasised that 'the climate change and the crisis it causes is undeniable, it is there for all to see, even those who stubbornly deny it. For so long, we have continued down the road of unlimited and careless exploitation of the Earth resources, which are not infinite. With the consequences we record. Ignoring the alarms that were sounded and presented by science'. "Young people understandably are more alert and more alarmed by what is happening. Their pressure has led to political initiatives, including international ones, with the various annual climate meetings, with decisions and measures that are still largely insufficient and unfortunately often denied or even disavowed. I am convinced,' the president added, 'that the evidence of the facts increasingly convinces people and I am counting on their and young people's pressure on governments to take effective incisive action. What is certain is that it is not possible to pass on to the new generations a condition of a deteriorated world, as we risk doing'.

"Artificial intelligence is the greatest evolution in our time" and mankind is at a "crossroads" over its use, President Sergio Mattarella also said, in dialogue with young people under 35 . 'It is a condition,' he added, 'that indispensably requires rules. But there is a complication that is alarming. The tools and this side, this sector, are concentrated in very few hands. This is an unacceptable condition, because these are subjects that refuse rules and controls'. Given that we are dealing with aspects that 'condition our lives and therefore affect our freedom, which are values that are protected by public powers, by states, we cannot allow,' Mattarella added, 'this privatisation of public powers for the benefit of those who would only use these powers for economic and financial gain. So we must create national rules, but they are not enough, continental, certainly European, some must be global'.