Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Friday warned against the growing lure of populism in Europe during his three-day state visit to Germany.
Asked about the successes of right-wing parties in EU member states, Mattarella said that some were making the deceptive promise of returning to a ‘golden age’ of 50 or 60 years ago.
“The world is changing dramatically,” he said. Large migration flows are unsettling many people, added Mattarella, who called for constructive solutions to be found.
In the morning, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender received the Italian president and his daughter Laura Mattarella with military honours at Bellevue Palace, the president’s official residence in Berlin. Steinmeier and his Italian counterpart are close friends.
Mattarella is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Italian Democratic Party (Partito Democratico). In the political spectrum, he is far removed from Italy’s ultra-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) party.
At a press conference, Steinmeier said that the topic of democracy had been emphasized in their joint talks. He also warned of the dangers to democracy.
“With growing concern … we are seeing polarization tendencies in all our societies,” said Steinmeier, referring to the results of recent elections. It was important to regain the trust of the population, he stressed.
Mattarella and his daughter landed in Berlin on Thursday. On Friday evening, Mattarella was to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz for discussions about discuss bilateral and European issues, according to the Chancellery in Berlin.
On Saturday, the state guests are due to fly to Bonn and Cologne with Steinmeier and his wife. According to the Steinmeier’s office, topics to be discussed there will include climate change.
Finally, the two presidents will travel together on Sunday to Italy, where they plan to attend a commemorative event in Bologna to mark the 80th anniversary of the Marzabotto massacre.
The massacre is considered one of the most serious war crimes committed by German soldiers in Italy during the Second World War.
