The upcoming challenges for Europe
In the coming weeks, the European Parliament will be called to vote on the candidates for the position of commissioner. The expectation is particularly intense, especially considering that Minister Raffaele Fitto is facing a series of obstacles in his race for the role of Executive Vice President of the Commission, with important responsibilities over budget and cohesion policies. One of the main issues arises from strong opposition by some European political groups, particularly the Socialists and Greens Parties, who are concerned about including a member of the Conservatives, such as Fitto, in a leadership position. In recent meetings among representatives of these groups, the concern isn’t so much about Fitto’s personal profile, but rather about the actual compatibility of his approach with the Commission’s programmatic guidelines. His appointment could destabilize the political balance of the pro-Ursula coalition, which was elected with the support of centrists and progressives, but not the right-wing, to which Fitto’s party – and Meloni’s – belongs. The EU leader will announce decisions on the portfolios on September 17, and the coming days will be crucial in deciding whether Fitto can secure the role or if a compromise will be necessary to maintain the political balance within the European Union.
Meanwhile, on Monday, former President of the European Central Bank and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi presented his much-anticipated report on the competitiveness crisis of EU countries, a report commissioned by the Commission about a year ago. To summarize it briefly, the report proposes adopting a European approach in various sectors that have so far been managed primarily by national governments based on local logics: industrial policy, energy supply, defense, and public and private investment in innovation. What emerges most clearly from the document is that the challenge of boosting competitiveness is urgent and cannot be postponed. Draghi appears to sound the alarm: for Europe to become more productive, it will need to “radically change,” as productivity is “an existential challenge for the EU.”
This week, attention was also focused overseas, where on Tuesday evening, the first – and perhaps only – presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump took place in Philadelphia. The US Vice President appears to have emerged victorious, having put the Republican candidate on the defensive, challenging him on various issues, including the handling of the pandemic and his numerous legal troubles. Harris successfully distanced herself from the record of outgoing President Joe Biden, maintaining an overall balanced and institutional tone. The former Republican President, on the other hand, often lost his patience and failed to be persuasive on key issues problematic for the Democrats, especially immigration.
One of the main topics was abortion, on which Harris harshly criticized Trump’s positions, asserting that the government should not interfere with women’s choices. Trump, in response, brought up controversial theories, such as accusing the Democrats of wanting to allow abortion up to the ninth month, creating confusion and making some gaffes. On foreign policy, another hot topic, Harris accused Trump of being overly accommodating to dictators like Putin and Kim Jong-un, while Trump promised that if re-elected, he would end the war in Ukraine by negotiating directly with Putin and Zelensky.
Even the initial post-debate polls confirm Harris’s strong performance: according to an instant poll by CNN, 63% of viewers believe the current Democratic Vice President was more convincing compared to the Republican candidate, favored by 37% of the sample. This is a significant reversal compared to the outcome of the June 27 debate, when, according to CNN’s survey, 67% of viewers considered Trump the winner of the duel against Joe Biden. However, the race remains open, and while these figures are relevant, they do not yet provide a clear picture of the outcome of the vote, which will determine the new American president in just a few weeks.
