Italy’s role in the Construction of a United Europe

Italy has been one of the leading actors in the long and not always easy undertaking of building a Europe without borders and trade barriers. Our country has hosted many of the key events in the community’s history, such as the signing of the EEC and Euratom Treaties in Rome in 1957; but Italy played this role even earlier on by Italy, in 1941, when Altiero Spinelli and Ernesto Rossi laid down the principles in a Manifesto for European Federalism while interned on the island of Ventotene by the Fascist government.

The following is a short summary of the high points in Italy’s participation in making community history over the last fifty years.

1-3 JUNE 1955 – At Messina, less than a year after the death of Alcide De Gasperi - one of the European community's founding fathers, along with Jean Monnet, Robert Schumann and Konrad Adenauer - a conference was held in Messina that lay the foundations for the Treaty of Rome. The six Foreign Ministers of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)—Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg, decided to adopt economic integration as an instrument by which to create political union. The ministers agreed to the idea of a Common Market and approved the creation of a European Atomic Energy Community.

29-20 MAY 1956 — At Venice, the intergovernmental committee, which launched the first Intergovernmental Conference, also introduced the Spaak Report, named after Belgian Foreign Minister Paul Henri Spaak who chaired the committee. The Report authorised the preparation of two treaties, one on the European Economic Community and the other on the European Atomic Energy Community.

25 March 1957 — In the Orazi and Curiazi Rooms of  Rome's Campidoglio (Capital Hill) representatives of the six founding countries signed the two treaties establishing the European Economic Community (EEC), initially called the European Common Market (ECM) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). The two treaties went into effect in January 1958 after ratification by the six Parliaments.

3-11 JULY 1958 — At Stresa, the Conference of the Ministers of Agriculture of the six founding member countries laid the foundaitons for the first real European agricultural policy, which took effect in January 1962. The Conference defined community policy in this sector, which involved the free circulation of agricultural products.

1 JULY – 21 MARCH 1972. Italian Franco Maria Malfatti becomes Prsdeint of the European Commission.

1-2 DECEMBER 1975: The European Council, made up of the leaders of nine new member countries (after the accession in 1973 of the UK, Denmark and Ireland) decides that by the spring 1978 universal suffrage would be extended to parliamentary elections (which were postponed by one year); adoption of a single passport is also decided;

25-26 MARCH 1977: In Rome the European Council tasks the duty Presidency of the Council and the President of the European Commission with representing the Community at G7 summit meetings;

12-13 JUNE 1980: In Venice the European Council, chaired by Italy, approves several political statements, in particular that better known as the Venice Declaration on the Middle East, which, among other things, recognises the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, the first sign of common foreign policy. Moreover, as a consequence of the second energy crisis to hit the West, the nine Members call for Euro-Arab dialogue on energy problems; 

28-29 JUNE 1985: In Milan the European Council of 10 Members, after the accession of Greece in 1981, decides to create a single European market by the end of 1992 and, for that purpose, approves the convening of an Intergovernmental Conference that later leads to the Single European Act (17 February 1986), the first EEC institutional reform after the Treaty of Rome;

27-28 OCTOBER 1990: In Rome the European Council of 12 members, with the accession of Spain and Portugal in 1986, approves two documents, one on European Political Union (EPU) and the other on the European Monetary Union (EMU). The Council expresses the desire to change the word Community to Union, and also decides to create a European citizenship to be added to that of individual nations;

14-15 DECEMBER 1990: In Rome the Summit of Heads of State and Governments of the 12 members launches the Intergovernmental Conferences (IGC) on Political Union and on Economic and Monetary Union. The two IGCs would lead to the signing of the Treaty of Maastricht (7 February 1992), which marked the birth of the European Union. Among the drafters of the Maastricht Treaty is then Treasury Minister Guido Carli;

29-30 MARCH 1996:  In Turin an extraordinary summit of the 15 members (joining in 1995 were Austria, Finland and Sweden) launches the Intergovernmental Conference for the revision of the Maastricht Treaty. The Italian EU Presidency submits a formula of flexibility: in practice, Member Country’s wishing to proceed more rapidly on the path to integration can do so, but in a community context and with the commitment to help the others catch up with them;

21-22 JUNE 1996: In Florence the Italian duty Presidency ends with unanimous acknowledgement for the first sessions held of the IGC, sessions that would lead to the signing of the Treaty of Amsterdam (2 October 1997). The European Council reaches agreement on the “mad cow” crisis and approves Europol, the European police agency;

16 SEPTEMBER 1999 - 21 November 2004: Italian Romano Prodi is President of the European Commission;

29 OCTOBER 2003: In Rome the inaugural session of the IGC for the drafting and adoption of the final version of the first European Constitution;

29 OCTOBER 2004: In Rome the Heads of State and Government and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 25 Member Countries and two Accession Countries participate in the ceremony for the signing of the Treaty and the Final Act Establishing a Constitution for Europe;

21 JUNE 2005, Parma is made the central headquarters of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), charged with implementing the decisions of the European Council of 12 and 13 December 2003. The Agency is a fully independent body offering scientific consulting, information and support to the European Commission and Parliament and to Member States regarding food and fodder safety.
9 MAY 2010 – Professor Mario Monti, former European Commissioner, drafts a report for President of the European Commission Josè Manuel Durao Barroso entitled “A new strategy for a single market”. The “Monti Report” will go on to form the basis for a series of European laws aimed at enhancing the potential for the single market in terms of sustainable growth.
1 NOVEMBER 2011 – Italian Mario Draghi is appointed President of the European Central Bank