The city of Florence pays tribute to David Sassoli two years after his death
Giusy Rossi for @Europolitiche
On Wednesday, February 28th, at the Oblate Library in Florence, the presentation of David Sassoli's book "Wisdom and audacity. Speeches for Italy and Europe" in the presence of the highest city authorities. "Florence was a friendly city for David, his hometown, he came here to be inspired by his democratic principles. A meek and courageous man, open to dialogue and listening to everyone" - declares Bishop Giuseppe Betori - "Unity, dialogue, law, are the inspiring principles, the key words to which Mayor La Pira also referred, words that we must make our own, together with the concept of integral peace".
David Sassoli's book, edited by Claudio Sardo, is a collection of his most recent writings, which represent a living root of his indications for today's politics, even now that he is no longer with us.
"David Sassoli was a prophetic man" - declares Mayor Dario Nardella - "The years that will pass will not weaken his message, but it will remain even more solid and clear, as it was for La Pira".
A well-known journalist, MEP and President of the European Parliament, a wave of sincere emotion accompanied his passing in 2022. The book is an attempt to go beyond these emotions by exposing his ideas and vision. History has gone on in this last period, but his thinking about Europe can be said to be generative (just consider the principles he recalls such as freedom of expression, civil rights, freedom of movement, the defense of life, the value of dignity). Europe, depending on where we look at it from, has different borders: that of the single currency, that of the Schengen area,
if we then consider the Council of Europe which unites 46 countries... But Europe is above all a civilization held together by its rights. Not so much as an order but as a tension to the full development of each person's personality. This is the deepest sense of the culture of the European project that David Sassoli transmits. We cannot imagine that democracy ends with voting. But it is an economic, social and environmental heritage of common responsibility. With the European vote, the guidelines should be decided. Which direction does Europe choose? Not an abstract debate on how much to cede to the Nation States. This debate is now outdated. Today's young people naturally have this European spirit. We need to give them more opportunities, support Erasmus. If we think, for example, that the European budget corresponds to 1% of GDP, we can understand how far there is still to go. A path that Sassoli has unequivocally marked, giving a leading role to the European Parliament during the
pandemic. Europe needs to make common policies and major investments, the real problem is economies of scale.
Claudio Sardo has collected his thoughts in an admirable way, demonstrating through his speeches the high profile of the international leader that he was. David has transformed the role of the European Parliament by giving it much more importance: some choices have been enlightened, such as keeping the Parliament open and operational during the lockdown. An increasingly active and more important role of the European Council, overturning its usual balance. With the panA new path of solidarity has been opened. The taboo of common debt has been violated. And without common debt, there will be no necessary progress in the future. David Sassoli did not see the Russian invasion of Ukraine but had long been active in the defense of Russian opponents and Navalny, to whose daughter he presented the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Expression in 2021 and was therefore an unwelcome personality in Russia. All in all, he has had a positive season for Europe, completing the Next Generation EU.
A great politician like him would have been able to make this atrocious contradiction between freedom and peace coexist. On closer inspection, the latest conflicts that have erupted on Europe's doorstep never end, perhaps the tension is lowered, but the outbreak remains aflame, and this puts the world in front of new responsibilities.
Referring to the Shoah, he said: "It happened once, it can happen again" for this reason we cannot neglect the episodes of hatred that happen in Europe, even if we seem to have learned some lessons from history. His words encourage us towards an idea of concrete hope, of trust in democracy, in social and environmental justice. Above all, it is up to us now to bring this hope to life for the construction of a new humanism.
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