The future of Europe as an ideal and as a reality, as a factor of stability and pacification and as a formidable consolidation of the alliance of values that unites the West were the topics debated by students of the Jean Monnet Chair of European Studies at the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University. Deputy Consul General Giacomo Montrasio animated the discussion along with colleagues from Germany, France, the Netherlands and Ireland (among the few career consular offices of member states based in Miami).
In his remarks, the Deputy Consul General emphasized how today’s Europe of 27 was born at the end of the “European Civil War”-as the Second World War was called-in the common, even American, hope to see peace and stability where uncertainty and conflict had reigned for centuries. Indeed, the story of European integration is a success story that has been written with many hands and looks optimistically to developments in the future. “Many are the daily challenges that we are called upon to face in an increasingly shared way, in the certainty that united we will be able to respond better and sooner, than alone. For us Europeans, the national interest is inseparable from the common interest. Within this framework, the special relationship with the United States that, as mentioned, has accompanied the European journey since its inception is an indispensable asset for both sides of the Atlantic, especially in times of great global uncertainty such as the ones we live in. Indeed, in difficult times, being able to count on friends is one of those certainties that reassures. Sailing together in stormy seas increases the chance of finding the right course and landing united in safe harbors. “Europe and America may have different views on some issues, but that is the richness of our relationship.” Different points of view make it possible to approach complex reality from different perspectives and thus provide solutions that are not partial, but effective precisely because they are comprehensive. This is what we have done together over the past 75 years. And it is what, we are sure, we will continue to do for years into the future. Indeed, different views do not touch that solid core of values, non-negotiable, that Europe and the United States share in their respective DNA: the defense of democracy, the rule of law, the guarantee of fundamental freedoms, the commitment to the protection of human rights, the pursuit of peace, and the importance of diplomacy. The most important lesson of European integration is that value matrix that we can adapt to each of the special relationships that the European Union has with its most important partners, starting with the United States: “cooperation and not competition,” in the words used by President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella on a recent visit to France.
