UPF Italy held its first Peace Forum of the year on January 30th, 2024, with the theme “Social Europe, Political Europe: What Steps for a Just Transition?”. Carlo Zonato, President of UPF Italy, explained that the Peace Forum meetings are usually held on the last Monday of each month; however, they had exceptionally moved this meeting to Tuesday because of a scheduling conflict with the national Shoah and Peace poetry competition in Reggio Calabria of which they were co-sponsors.
He then introduced the main speaker, Dr. Marco Ricceri, Secretary General of the Institute for Social, Political and Economic Research and Analysis (EURISPES). He is also the coordinator of the European Investment Agency and a UPF peace ambassador. He explained that the report that Marco Ricceri would present today has as its theme, 'Social Europe, Political Europe: What Steps for a Just Transition?' It stems from analytical work in which EURISPES participated and which was structured around three areas: social Europe, economic Europe and Energy Europe. He then gave the floor to Dr. Marco Ricceri.
Dr. Ricceri began by explaining that what happens in the social arena has an increasing impact on the political set-up and people's orientations. To clarify the path, he expressed that the foundation is in the Lisbon Treaty, which talks about the social market economy. Europe has defined its structure and goal as a social market economy, which is a specific form of what is called a liberalist economy; it is the so-called social clause. This was arrived at after a long journey because, until the Lisbon Treaty, social policy had always been considered subordinate to economic development, functional to achieving greater productivity and competitiveness, etc.; it was not given a primary role. The turning point of the Lisbon Treaty was necessary. This social clause that was introduced therefore puts economic development and social progress on the same level, in parallel, thus recognizing it as having as much value as the economy.