Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Friday warned against the growing attraction of Europeans during his three-day visit to Germany.
Asked about the success of opposition parties in EU member states, Mattarella said some made a false promise to return to the ‘golden age’ of the past 50 or 60 years.
“The world is changing a lot,” he said. The large flow of migration is disturbing many people, added Mattarella, who called for constructive solutions.
In the morning, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender received the Italian president and his daughter Laura Mattarella with military honors at Bellevue Palace, which is the official residence of the president in Berlin. Steinmeier and his Italian counterpart are good friends.
Mattarella is considered one of the founding fathers of the Italian Democratic Party (Partito Democratico). Politically, he is far from far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni and his group of Italian Brothers (Fratelli d’Italia).
At the press conference, Steinmeier said that the topic of democracy was emphasized in their joint discussions. He also warned of the dangers of democracy.
“With increasing concern … we see a trend of polarization in all our societies,” Steinmeier said, referring to the results of the recent election. It was important to restore people’s trust, he stressed.
Matarella and his daughter arrived in Berlin on Thursday. On Friday evening, Mattarella would meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss bilateral and European issues, according to the Chancellery in Berlin.
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