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Our News
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Giulio Napolitano: Greece must remain in the eurozone
The son of the President of the Italian Republic and Professor of Public Law in the University Roma Tre, hopes that our country meets its commitments, envisions a banking and fiscal union for the EU and supports the direct election of the President of the European Council from the peoples of Europe.
"The European Union is a community composed of risks that must be addressed together, and not of allocated privileges" says Giulio Napolitano, son of Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Italian Republic, to the "Sunday Ethnos" newspaper. The 40-year old Giulio is a leading Public Law Professor in Italy and teaches at the University Roma Tre.
He believes that it is necessary for Greece to remain in the eurozone, while he champions the stream of EU assistance through the European, rather than the national, institutions. He considers that the state governments should not be afraid to enhance the powers of the Union because only united will the countries be valued in the global arena.
His father expressed the same view to the President of the Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias, during the latter's recent visit to the Italian Presidency.
Giulio Napolitano envisions for the future of the EU a banking and fiscal union and supports the direct election of the President of the European Council by the peoples. He is a great admirer of our country, which he visits several times a year.
He is a bachelor and avoids talking about his father, as he follows a distinctive "legal" path in the neighboring country. He was in Athens for the annual conference of the European Public Law Organization, where we met with him.
You visit Greece in recent years and teach at the Academy of European Public Law. What is your opinion about Greece during crisis?
All the members of the European Public Law Organization ? that come from different parts of Europe ? visited Greece with great pleasure to participate in the annual conference of the European Group of Public Law, with appreciation for both the generosity and the contribution of Greeks, as well as the great culture of this country.
For one to examine and develop public law issues in the birthplace of democracy is always very moving. All of us who participate in the conference believe that it is of vital importance for Greece to remain in the eurozone and hope that it will manage to meet its commitments towards the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.
What changes do you think should be made in the European treaties to save the euro?
It is necessary for great and swift steps forward to be made, driven by the political unification of Europe. Due to the crisis, Europe has already changed a lot.
Its economic governance has become more powerful. Also, the creation of a European Stability Mechanism strengthens the constitutional dimension of Europe. The Union is a community composed of risks that must be addressed together, and not of allocated privileges. We are now obligated to do more.
States and national governments should not be afraid of enhancing the jurisdictions of the Union. They will not lose their sovereignty, but rather exercise it jointly. Only united can the European nations continue to be valued and be respected on the global arena.
The next targets should be the banking and fiscal union. And in order to create a real political union, political parties must learn to think with a European logic.
Do you agree with the election of the President of the European Union by the peoples?
I am convinced that it was necessary to strengthen the political and democratic legitimacy of the President of the European Council. The ultimate goal should be that of direct election by the citizens. This, however, requires the formation of major European political parties.
As long as this is not possible, a big step forward would be the indirect election with the participation of the European Parliament and national parliaments.
Could you comment on the recent decision of the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe? Do you find it legitimate for national courts to call into question the application of superior Community law?
The decision of the German Constitutional Court is clear, rational and consistent with earlier decisions. Moreover, it ?finally- allows for the European Stability Mechanism to operate. The German Court rightly decided that there should be control in the European institutions.
Personally, though, I think the first goal should be to strengthen the role of the European Parliament in relation to the respective one of the national parliaments.
There is always great risk in substituting the functioning of the European institutions with the decisions of national courts and parliaments.
