“These days l‘Italy was at the center of the world and the eyes of the world were upon us. It was a big responsibility and I I am proud of how our nation has once again managed to amaze and lead the way”. Thus the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a video posted at the end of the work of the second day of the G7 in Borgo Egnazia in Puglia. And after having thanked Pope Francis (“We also experienced a historic moment with the presence of the Holy Father, it is the first time of a pontiff at the G7”), spoke of the final adopted declaration, “an extremely significant document which contains the many commitments that the G7 has decided to undertake , concrete, real commitments, which concern decisive issues for our present, for our future and on which the G7 has reaffirmed its unity of purpose, its unity”.
In the final document adopted by the leaders, 36 pages in all, the “strong concern” for the reduction of LGBT rights was reiterated, with a firm condemnation of “all violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms”, and confirmed the commitment of the Majors “to promote and protect” the rights of the ‘rainbow’ community. As for the other ‘hot’ dossier on the rights front, in the final declarations the word ‘abortion’ is not mentioned, but all the commitments made by the leaders in Hiroshima are confirmed. Then there is an ad hoc chapter that Meloni will be able to show off as the flagship of the G7 made in Italy: the paragraph on migrantsin which the 7 commit to launching “a coalition to prevent and combat migrant trafficking”.
Using a “‘follow the money’ approach – the big 7 put it in black and white, recalling a strategy developed by Giovanni Falcone against the mafia and dear to Meloni – to identify, investigate and effectively combat organized crime, addressing the financial aspects , including greater cooperation on asset confiscation.” The document also includes the Mattei Plan desired by the Italian government, welcomed by the leaders.
The G7 expressed full and unanimous support for theagreement drawn up by American President Joe Biden for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Stripthe release of all hostages, a significant and lasting increase in the flow of humanitarian assistance across Gaza and a lasting end to the conflict, reads the draft final G7 declaration which explains that the security interests of Israel and the safety of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
On theUkraine, in a passage of the preamble of the draft final declaration, we read that in the presence of President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a gesture of solidarity and support “for Ukraine’s fight for its freedom and for its reconstruction, we have decided to put approximately 50 billion dollars are available by exploiting the extraordinary revenues of immobilized Russian sovereign assets, sending an unmistakable signal to President Putin. We are intensifying our collective efforts to disarm and defund the Russian military industrial complex.” “Russia – they underline – must end its war of illegal aggression and pay for the damage it has caused to Ukraine. According to the World Bank, these damages today exceed 486 billion dollars.”
“We look forward to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris and urge all countries to observe the Olympic Truce individually and collectively, as envisaged by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution ‘Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal’, adopted on 15 November 2023″, is another step.
On the front climate, the G7 countries remain committed to “taking concrete measures to address the triple crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss”. The G7 countries “remain committed to respecting the Paris Agreement and maintaining a limit of 1.5°C global temperature increase”. The draft underlines that the objective remains “unchanged” i.e. “to provide a substantial contribution to efforts to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 43% in this critical decade and 60% by 2035, compared to the 2019 level ”. The G7 countries stress “that this is a collective effort and that further action is needed by all countries, in particular major economies, to reach peak global greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and net zero by 2050”.
Pope Francis marks the debut of a pontiff at the G7. Apart from the agreement on the solidarity fund of 50 billion dollars guaranteed by the profits from Russian assets, it is Bergoglio’s presence that makes the difference in this Italian-led G7. Giorgia Meloni is aware of this, achieving an unprecedented result. A result which, alone, is capable of disposing of the ‘waste’ of the dispute with President Emmanuel Macron, a dispute involving fiery declarations which ended up ‘cannibalising’ the attention of the media and public opinion in the first work day.
The page turns with the arrival of the pontiff, headed to the small Apulian village aboard a helicopter. The Prime Minister reaches the aircraft’s steps against the wind, “still alive”, he jokes, “there are two of us”, Meloni replies promptly after having investigated the state of health of the Holy Father. Together they get into the small golf car that will take them to the other leaders, Bergoglio struggles, also because of his bad knee, but with Meloni they make her laugh: she jokes amused, “a good laugh”, observes Francesco, “ok but me and she always..”, replies the Prime Minister, who in these 18 months has managed to build a solid relationship with the pontiff, met several times even away from the spotlight.
When they enter the room where the panel on Artificial Intelligence takes place, the enthusiasm of the leaders – not only the 7, but also the so-called ‘outreach’ to whom Meloni has decided to open the summit – is uncontainable: a long applause accompanies the pontiff, who reaches his position in a wheelchair, Meloni behind him. All the leaders approach to greet him, with a confidence that distinguishes a pontificate judged by all to be outside the box: Biden leans over him and whispers something in his ear, the Argentine Javier Milei, Bergoglio’s compatriot, hugs him emotionally, the Brazilian Luis Inàcio Lula de Silva and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also embrace him emotionally. “It is the first time that a pontiff participates in a G7 meeting – the prime minister opens the session – so inevitably it is a truly historic moment. I will never thank you enough for being here with us,” she says, leaving the floor to Francesco.
Bergoglio’s speech does not hide the doubts and fears linked to the advent of artificial intelligence, it calls for “good politics”, the need for AI to have an “ethical inspiration”. To reduce the risks intrinsic to the challenge, it is up to politics to “create the conditions” for a use that is “possible and fruitful”, because “in the face of so many petty forms of politics aimed at immediate interest, political greatness shows itself when, in difficult times, we operate on the basis of great principles and thinking of the long-term common good. The political power finds it very difficult to accommodate this duty in a national project and even more so in a common project for present and future humanity”.
His words are “a source of inspiration for all of us”, Meloni thanks him. Which, shortly after the pontiff’s arrival, was forced to deny a piece of news released by Bloomberg which risks generating a ‘remake’ of the abortion mess: a step backwards on LGBTQ rights in the draft conclusions that the American agency binds in the presence of Pope Francis in Borgo Egnazia. The denial from Palazzo Chigi is clear: news without any foundation, thunders the Prime Minister.
In the final document adopted by the leaders, 36 pages in all, the “strong concern” for the reduction of LGBT rights is reiterated, with a firm condemnation of “all violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms”, and confirmed the commitment of the Majors “to promote and protect” the rights of the ‘rainbow’ community. As for the other ‘hot’ dossier on the rights front, in the final declarations the word ‘abortion’ is not mentioned, but all the commitments made by the leaders in Hiroshima are confirmed. Then there is an ad hoc chapter that Meloni will be able to show off as the flagship of the G7 made in Italy: the paragraph on migrants, in which the 7 undertake to launch “a coalition to prevent and combat migrant trafficking”.
Using a “‘follow the money’ approach – the big 7 put it in black and white, recalling a strategy developed by Giovanni Falcone against the mafia and dear to Meloni – to identify, investigate and effectively combat organized crime, addressing the financial aspects , including greater cooperation on asset confiscation.” The document also includes the Mattei Plan desired by the Italian government, welcomed by the leaders.
At the work table, Meloni asked that the G7 act as spokesperson at an international level for a new strategy, which adopts new weapons to combat trafficking that has made the Mediterranean an open-air cemetery. Recalling, among the possible tools, also the Rome-Tirana memorandum, which saw our country open two hotspots on Albanian soil, with all the controversies involved.
At the end of the proceedings, the family photo extended to all the leaders who arrived in Borgo Egnazia, with the smiling Pope in the front row for a shot destined to go down in history. Meloni is aware of this, posing with a satisfied look as the second day of the summit draws to a close. (AdnKronos)
