Welfare cornerstone of co-existence says Mattarella

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 22 - A welfare system is the cornerstone of co-existence, President Sergio Mattarella said Tuesday.
    He also said that social rights were fundamental in the pact between institutions and citizens.
    "The welfare system is a pillar of our model of coexistence and a measure of the concrete implementation of the principles of our Constitution," he said.
    "We should reflect on the ways in which, in the context of the changes brought about by the evolution of production processes and the demographic structure of the country, cohesion objectives can be made increasingly attainable," the president added at the Welfare Italia Forum.
    Matterall went on to say that "the demographic imbalance that affects the country and affects the present and future sustainability of the welfare model, in turn, raises questions.
    "What is needed, therefore, is a long-term vision and a joint effort by all the social actors that contribute in response to the demand for assistance, care, and protection, in a context that sees the concrete threat of an increase in poverty and the madness of war multiplying the crisis factors". (ANSA).