Outgoing Premier Mario Draghi said Wednesday that Italy was a great country and would make it under whatever government emerges from next month's general election, as long as it does not isolate Italy.
"I am convinced that the next government, whatever colour it is, will be able to overcome difficulties that appear insurmountable: Italy will make it this time too," Draghi told the annual meeting of lay Catholic group Communion and Liberation (CL) in Rimini.
"We seemed to be heading for a slow and uncertain recovery, and 18 months on we can say that it did not go like that: the Italians reacted with courage and concreteness and rewrote a history that had already seemed decided.
"Together we showed that Italy is a great country which has all it needs to overcome the difficulties that history puts in front of it".
Draghi, a former European central banker who took over the reins of government early last year, looks set to be replaced by conservative leader Giorgia Meloni after the September 25 general election.
Draghi said he hoped that any new government would maintain the republican spirit.
"I hope that whoever has the privilege (of governing Italy) will be able to represent the republican spirit that animated our executive from the start," he said, looking back at his broad national unity government, of which only Meloni was not a part.
"In a few weeks time the Italians will choose a new parliament.
I urge everyone to vote," Draghi went on.
The premier said Italy was facing a moment of "great uncertainty", with inflation weighing on households and businesses.
He said that gas and other energy sources had reached "unsustainable" costs and reiterated Italy's demand for a price cap at a national and European level.
Draghi has managed to get the EU to commit to considering an energy price cap next month.
Draghi said gas stocks, which are currently around 80%, should be further boosted so that there would be less impact from a possible interruption of Russian supplies amid the Ukraine war.
He said Russian gas imports "are increasingly less significant and a possible interruption of them would have a lower impact, with stocks currently running at around 80% and in line with the goal of reaching 90% by the end of October".
Draghi told the CL meet that regassification terminals were "fundamental" for national energy security.
He said that "with the new regassification terminals Italy will be able to be completely independent of Russian gas from autumn 2024.
"This is a fundamental goal for national security".
Sraghi added: "internal credibility must go hand in hand with international credibility. Italy is a founder country of the EU, a protagonist in the G7 and NATO.
"Protectionism and isolationism do not coincide with our national interest," Draghi told the CL meet, recalling "the autarkic illusions of the last century" under Fascist rule.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
