Italy’s Five Star can be a force for renewal across the EU
Our programme for government gives the lie to the movement’s image as populist
Since its creation in 2009, the Five Star Movement — which has topped Italy’s latest general election — has been depicted as a party of fanatics with populist objectives, and a threat to the stability of Italy and the EU. No surprise, then, that many seem puzzled as to why someone like me has decided to join the movement and be its candidate for the post of Minister of Economic Development. The reason is simple: I believe that there is a misunderstanding about the movement’s policy objectives, especially now that it has matured into a full-fledged progressive political force. Five Star should be seen as Italy’s best hope to recover from decades of bad governance and endemic corruption. It can be seen as a force for renewal in Europe too. This is why I, as a scholar of European integration, international migration and sustainable development, as well as many other academics have decided to join Five Star’s prospective ministerial team. The movement has come of age over the past few years. Launched by the comedian Beppe Grillo, who opposed Italy’s political cronyism and promoted direct democracy through the interSince its creation in 2009, the Five Star Movement — which has topped Italy’s latest general election — has been depicted as a party of fanatics with populist objectives, and a threat to the stability of Italy and the EU. No surprise, then, that many seem puzzled as to why someone like me has decided to join the movement and be its candidate for the post of Minister of Economic Development. The reason is simple: I believe that there is a misunderstanding about the movement’s policy objectives, especially now that it has matured into a full-fledged progressive political force. Five Star should be seen as Italy’s best hope to recover from decades of bad governance and endemic corruption. It can be seen as a force for renewal in Europe too. This is why I, as a scholar of European integration, international migration and sustainable development, as well as many other academics have decided to join Five Star’s prospective ministerial team. The movement has come of age over the past few years. Launched by the comedian Beppe Grillo, who opposed Italy’s political cronyism and promoted direct democracy through the internet, Five Star has become a leading force for change. It is now autonomously directed by its elected political leader, Luigi Di Maio, and his team of collaborators, consultants and experts, as well as ongoing consultations with activists.
The success of our strategy will very much depend on how other European governments and institutions interact with us, should a government be formed in the next few weeks.
At the election, Five Star’s support reached over 32 per cent of the popular vote, establishing it as one of Europe’s largest parties (on a par with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats in Germany in terms of support). In a European context marred by the rise of rightwing extremism, Five Star should be seen as a bastion of stability, having managed to channel popular discontent towards a progressive agenda of social and economic reforms. But the success of our strategy will very much depend on how other European governments and institutions interact with us, should a government be formed in the next few weeks. From our side, we intend to operate within the eurozone framework and engage in constructive dialogue with all the institutions. Our policy programme is designed to tackle Italy’s longstanding economic woes, including endemic unemployment and the casualisation of the workforce. The number of small and medium enterprises, which have been the backbone of Italy’s development for generations, has been shrinking. We intend to improve the fiscal and judicial systems, whose inefficiencies are suffocating our country’s entrepreneurial spirit and fuelling tax evasion and corruption. We also want to put Italy on a par with other developed economies by introducing a minimum income for those who lose their jobs or are looking for one (provided a set of strict conditions are met). Our country has more than 4.7m people who fall below the poverty line: without a credible social welfare mechanism, social tension will continue to rise. Moreover, we consider a basic income necessary to reskill workers and foster new forms of entrepreneurialism — this will be in line with the knowledge-based green economy enshrined in the EU’s Europe 2020 strategy for growth, and with the fourth industrial revolution. We will also embrace the EU’s quest to achieve sustainable development and fight climate change. We agree with Emmanuel Macron, the French president, that this is a historic challenge for our civilisation, which is why we pledge to complete the transition away from fossil fuels by 2050 at the latest, with a massive effort to promote renewable energy sources and electric transport in the short term. These objectives can only be met through targeted policies that aim to re-ignite economic dynamism in Italy, so reducing the national public debt in line with the IMF’s recommendations. Finally, we believe migration can only be managed effectively through sharing responsibility among all EU member states. Our ambition is to reconnect the EU with its founding values of solidarity, sustainability and peace. Far from being isolationists, we strive for an interconnected Europe truly capable of promoting the wellbeing of its citizens and the rest of the world. The writer is a political economist and a newly elected MP for the Five Star Movement Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2018. All rights reserved.net, Five Star has become a leading force for change. It is now autonomously directed by its elected political leader, Luigi Di Maio, and his team of collaborators, consultants and experts, as well as ongoing consultations with activists. The success of our strategy will very much depend on how other European governments and institutions interact with us, should a government be formed in the next few weeks. At the election, Five Star’s support reached over 32 per cent of the popular vote, establishing it as one of Europe’s largest parties (on a par with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats in Germany in terms of support). In a European context marred by the rise of rightwing extremism, Five Star should be seen as a bastion of stability, having managed to channel popular discontent towards a progressive agenda of social and economic reforms. But the success of our strategy will very much depend on how other European governments and institutions interact with us, should a government be formed in the next few weeks. From our side, we intend to operate within the eurozone framework and engage in constructive dialogue with all the institutions. Our policy programme is designed to tackle Italy’s longstanding economic woes, including endemic unemployment and the casualisation of the workforce. The number of small and medium enterprises, which have been the backbone of Italy’s development for generations, has been shrinking. We intend to improve the fiscal and judicial systems, whose inefficiencies are suffocating our country’s entrepreneurial spirit and fuelling tax evasion and corruption. We also want to put Italy on a par with other developed economies by introducing a minimum income for those who lose their jobs or are looking for one (provided a set of strict conditions are met). Our country has more than 4.7m people who fall below the poverty line: without a credible social welfare mechanism, social tension will continue to rise. Moreover, we consider a basic income necessary to reskill workers and foster new forms of entrepreneurialism — this will be in line with the knowledge-based green economy enshrined in the EU’s Europe 2020 strategy for growth, and with the fourth industrial revolution. We will also embrace the EU’s quest to achieve sustainable development and fight climate change. We agree with Emmanuel Macron, the French president, that this is a historic challenge for our civilisation, which is why we pledge to complete the transition away from fossil fuels by 2050 at the latest, with a massive effort to promote renewable energy sources and electric transport in the short term. These objectives can only be met through targeted policies that aim to re-ignite economic dynamism in Italy, so reducing the national public debt in line with the IMF’s recommendations. Finally, we believe migration can only be managed effectively through sharing responsibility among all EU member states. Our ambition is to reconnect the EU with its founding values of solidarity, sustainability and peace. Far from being isolationists, we strive for an interconnected Europe truly capable of promoting the wellbeing of its citizens and the rest of the world.
The writer is a political economist and a newly elected MP for the Five Star Movement
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2018. All rights reserved.
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