The commemoration ceremony for the president of the European Parliament. Tomorrow the election of his successor
«The smile, the eyes, the word. With this triptych I want to begin this speech in memory of David. The smile, his. The eyes, those of others. The word, of those who have no voice ». Thus the secretary of the Democratic Party, Enrico Letta, at the beginning of his speech in memory of the former president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, at the Strasbourg plenary. “His smile was a special gift, and this is the first thought that crosses the mind of each of us when we think of David.” «It is the image that transmits its strength and serenity – continued Letta. His smile was an innate gift, but his smile was above all a state of mind. It was a welcoming smile. It was the smile of understanding. It was a smile of benevolence and consistency. Because David’s smile, even before being a gift from nature, so engaging and captivating, so capable of predisposing you to the positive, was an inner smile. The smile of someone who always seeks the good in every event, which is present in every meeting and in every person “.
“The eyes. Those of others. Those David sought, looked at and through. These eyes that tell the tragedies of our time “, added Letta recalling” one of his most beautiful speeches, that of the commemoration of the Nazi massacre in Fossoli. “Finally” the word. That of the voiceless. His whole life has been dedicated. to those who have no voice. This instinctive predisposition towards others in David’s life has arisen, from the incessant construction of spaces for dialogue to the tireless practice of listening. So it was obviously in Europe that David found his most natural dimension. What is Europe if not the political project of a space for dialogue between different people and countries, built on common values of solidarity and reciprocity? Europe is openness. David, therefore, has grasped a fundamental point for identity European when he said ‘Europe is powerful only when it does not come close to itself’, remarked the former prime minister.
The secretary of the Democratic Party, in his speech, also alluded to the Italian political situation and the race to Colle. «Just in these days», he said, «rumors have multiplied of those who think that David would have been the President to be elected. Voices of every political orientation. Speaking about this issue with him a month ago, I recorded his smile and a phrase that I keep in my heart. The lesson I draw is that politics must know how to look beyond: beyond appearance and immediacy. And make bold choices. Because that choice that appears obvious to most, today that David is no longer there, yesterday he did not appear but now it is late ».
Before Letta, to open the session, the words of the interim president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. «It is with great sadness that today we give our last heartfelt farewell to our president. Europe has lost a leader, democracy a champion, all of us a friend ”. The highest Italian and international political authorities were present at the ceremony, from Prime Minister Draghi and Foreign Minister Di Maio to the President of the European Council Charles Michel. The president of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen is justified absent, who had to give up because her driver tested positive for Covid. “David was one of us, a man of great vision and deep convictions as a man and a politician,” continued Metsola. «He has always translated the values he believed in into concrete actions. He took courageous decisions, he fought in the open Parliament during the most difficult months of the pandemic ».
The commemoration of Sassoli, who died on 11 January last, was opened by a short video dedicated to the president of the European Parliament. MEPs from the Group of Socialists and Democrats came to the courtroom with a white rose to remember the political group in which the former president of the European Parliament worked as a young man, inspired by the German resistance group Weiss Rose who had fought against Nazism .
Tomorrow the European Parliament will elect Sassoli’s successor. It was precisely to call the elections for January 18, announcing that he would not run again.
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