The European Social Democrats like Bersani, not so much the alliance with Monti

Swoboda: “It is not the time to talk about alliances but to present a program”
The European Parliament President of S&D stresses: “I didn’t see the Professor fight for the Golden Rule”

The idea that the center-left allies itself with Mario Monti does not motivate Pierluigi Bersani’s European partners. Hannes Swoboda, Chair for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, meets on Wednesday with the Italian press in a luxurious restaurant in Brussels, to speak about Italy and the elections and to express his full support of the Pd Secretary.

The meal is light but Swoboda can hardly even take a bite, assaulted by questions, he comes out with a strong realism, even if combined with a severe lack of desire to see Mario Monti govern again. “Now is the time to present proposals, alternatives – he explains – not to think about possible agreements.” What he means to say is “these Italian elections are very important for Europe; they can be a decisive element in balancing the austerity policy that the majority of the EU has had. And Monti, in his opinion, is one of those who supported them, even if the Professor, in his time, had his support, “but only because – clarifies the Austrian – he was the only practical alternative to Silvio Berlusconi.” If the center-left wins “we can expect Italy to make a solid contribution to the development of the growth pact.”

Somebody reminds Swoboda that Monti supported the need for a growth policy, and he also asked for the introduction of a Golden Rule to favor public investments, excluding them from the debt. “I saw that Monti had written a letter in favor of the Golden Rule – he responds – but I didn’t see him fight to obtain it. These are two very different things.” The European Socialists now hope it will be up to Bersani, “the only one in Italy who can launch a dialogue between industrialists and workers,” in order to enact useful reforms “as long as it isn’t the end of social Europe.” In Europe, the Austrian says, the Pd leader will be welcomed by the center-left, “he participates in all the European Socialist Party meetings, even if he is not a member, and the differences of opinion that exist on some arguments are not so noticeable. Actually, I don’t see real differences between Bersani and the other European Socialist leaders.”

Maybe Swoboda is a little concerned about the presence of Sel (Left Ecology Freedom) in the coalition, but not really at heart; he seems to trust the pragmatism demonstrated by Nichi Vendola in the Apulia region, and he says the example of the Prodi government is not suitable, “in 2008 there was another government, another time.”

L.R.