Ahead of the fourth summit dedicated to the response to the coronavirus pandemic, Sandro Gozi insists on the need to “renew the European project”.

What do you expect from this meeting of Heads of State and Government?

I would like the Heads of State and Government to immediately announce a recovery fund of at least EUR 1000 billion, so that tomorrow’s world begins today! But I am afraid that the reality is quite different and that the debates will continue for a while.

Can the Dutch and Italians, whose points of view are on the opposite, come closer together?

Yes, I think so. But both Rome and The Hague are still prisoners of the past ideological debates, namely the mutualisation of the debt for the Netherlands and the activation of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) for Italy, even though this time there is no question of austerity… The whole issue is to push each other to free themselves from these outdated shackles.

Read the full interview here.