The leader of Rome’s populist Government launched a scathing attack against Brussels from the stage of Davos 2019. In his special address to Davos’ guests, Mr Conte celebrated the hefty and much-discussed reforms put in place by his Government and urged the EU to change before its citizens fall out of love with it. He said: “The European public opinion has considered for years the EU as a tool to tackle challenges such as protectionism, migration and climate change, but now is questioning its validity and credibility.
“But now, without disregarding its historical merits, Europeans want the bloc to be fitter for the current and future challenges.”
Mr Conte argued the decade of austerity imposed by Brussels and the rules imposed on national Governments have contributed to a fall out between EU citizens and their institutions.
In his speech, Mr Conte spoke of the necessity of revising “all the red tapes” of the European institutions and their “democratic norms” to protect the EU citizens from a crisis and a “bleak” vision of the future.
Italy, which following the March 2018 elections saw raising to power an anti-establishment coalition, has chosen to ditch the old elites and find “new ways” to legally solve the crisis that has been gripping the country since the financial crash of 2008.
READ MORE: BREXIT BOMBSHELL: Italy may destroy EU unity and VETO Brexit over Rome budget row
Mr Conte said: “Italian people have been very patient and disciplined for many years, they have trusted Italian, European politicians and technical institutions.
“They have believed the euro to be able to solve all their financial problems, inflation, weak currency and public debt, and they have enthusiastically adopted the new currency.
“But reality turned out to be very different, the price of it has been a growing public debt despite continuous belt-tightening policies.
“Despite this, my fellow Italian citizens have proved to be very mature and attached to democratic institutions, they haven’t taken to the streets, but rather they have used democratic elections to dismiss old elites and elect those who were promising to give an immediate relief to the most urgent needs of my people.”
The Conte Government, the Prime Minister added, has put the “people” at the centre of its policies and is implementing “a radically new vision”.
He continued: “We are radical but we are radical because we want to bring power back as it was meant in our Constitution, give back sovereignty to the people.”
In the past months, Italy and Brussels have been entwined in a tug-of-war regarding the country’s budget law.
Rome initially raised its deficit target for 2019 to 2.4 percent in order to pay for its planned social reforms, including the institution of a basic income and a flat tax.
This move raised the alarm in the EU, as Italy bears one of the highest debts in the Western world.
After bitter remarks from the Italian Government and a series of bilateral talks, Rome caved in, and slashed the target to 2.04 percent.
Despite Italy lost the battle, Mr Conte didn’t fail to attack the European Union, claiming the new path undertaken by his Cabinet aiming at a more just and equal society would be “easier” if Italy was not alone in pursuing it.
He said: “Italy is now walking along this path. We want to go very far, how long it will take, I can’t say, but what I do know for sure is that our strive for a better society would be easier if we were not alone in this quest.
“Any community, if left alone, will have an hard time in facing those who play one nation against the other for their own advantage.
“If we Europeans were more united in this endeavour, we would be more united in strengthening the values of the EU – freedom, social justice, fair treatment for everyone, rule of law.
“This is the Europe we Italians dream of, a Europe of the people, by the people, for the people.”
World leaders are gathering at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Switzerland this week.