Mattarella, full speech at the end of 2022: complete text

“A year ago, addressing you on this occasion, I defined the previous seven years as demanding and complex. So was the past year, so full of important political and institutional events. The election of the President of the Republic, with the choice of Parliament and the delegates of the Regions which, unexpectedly for me, commits me to a second mandate.The early dissolution of the Chambers and the political elections, held, for the first time, in the autumn.The clear electoral result allowed the rapid birth of the new government, led, for the first time, by a woman.This is a novelty of great social and cultural significance, which had been developing for some time in our country and has now become a reality.

Over the course of a few years, almost all the political forces present in Parliament took turns in government, in different parliamentary coalitions. What happened has placed them all, at different times, in the face of the need to measure themselves against the difficulties of governing. Recognizing the complexity, exercising responsibility for choices, confronting the limits imposed by a reality increasingly characterized by global phenomena: from the pandemic to war, from the energy crisis to the food crisis, from climate change to migratory phenomena.

The concreteness of reality has thus summoned everyone to responsibility. It urges everyone to apply themselves to the urgency of problems that await answers. Our democracy has therefore proved, once again, to be a mature, accomplished democracy, also thanks to this experience, acquired by all, of representing and governing a large country. It is this awareness, respecting the dialectic between the majority and the opposition, which leads to a common vision of our democratic system, to respect for rules that cannot be disregarded, for everyone’s role in the political life of the Republic. This corresponds to the spirit of the Constitution. Tomorrow, January 1, will be the 75th anniversary of its entry into force. The Constitution remains our compass, its respect our primary duty; mine too.

We are waiting to welcome the new year but even in these hours our thoughts cannot turn away from the war that is bloodying our Continent. 2022 was the year of the crazy war unleashed by the Russian Federation. The response from Italy, Europe and the West was full support for the attacked country and for the Ukrainian people, who are courageously defending their freedom and rights. If this was the year of the war, we must concentrate our efforts so that 2023 is the year of the end of hostilities, of the silence of the weapons, of the cessation of this inhuman trail of blood, of deaths, of suffering.

Peace is a founding part of European identity and, since the beginning of the conflict, Europe has been looking for openings to achieve it in justice and freedom. Pope Francis constantly exhorts peace to whom I address, with great affection, a grateful greeting, expressing to him Italy’s heartfelt condolences for the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. We feel deep sadness for the many human lives lost and because, every day, houses, hospitals, schools, theaters are destroyed, transforming cities and towns into a pile of ruins. Huge quantities of financial resources are burned for armaments which, if destined for world hunger, the fight against disease or poverty, would be a relief for humanity. Of these further serious damages, the responsibility falls entirely on the person who attacked and not on those who defend themselves or on those who help them defend themselves. Let’s think about it: if the aggression were successful, others would follow, with other wars, with unpredictable boundaries.

We do not resign ourselves to this present. This cannot be the future. The hope for peace is also founded on the rejection of a vision that makes history go back, of an obscurantism out of time and out of reason. It is above all based on the strength of freedom. On the will to affirm the civilization of rights. Something that is rooted in the hearts of women and men. Even stronger in the new generations. The young women of Iran testify to this with their courage. Afghan women fighting for their freedom. Those Russian boys who defy repression to say no to war.

The last few years have been tough. What we have experienced has caused or aggravated social tensions, fractures, poverty. From Covid – unfortunately not yet definitively defeated – we have learned lessons not to be forgotten. We have understood that science, civil institutions, concrete solidarity are precious resources of a community, and the more effective they are the more they are able to integrate and support each other. The more they produce trust and responsibility in people. It is necessary to work so that the irreplaceable garrison of unity of the country represented by the National Health Service is strengthened, increasingly placing the person and their concrete needs at the centre, in the territory in which they live.

I know well how many Italians face these months with great worries. Inflation, energy costs, the difficulties of many families and businesses, the increase in poverty and need. The lack of work takes away rights and dignity: the price we pay for unemployment and precariousness is still too high. Above all, the condition of many children in difficulty is alarming. Child poverty, from the beginning of the global crisis of 2008 to today, has quadrupled. The differences linked to social, economic, organizational and health factors between the different territories of our country – between the North and the South, for the smaller islands, for the inland areas – create injustices, hurt the right to equality.

The Constitution still guides us, where it prescribes that the Republic must remove the economic and social obstacles that harm people’s rights, their full realization. Without distinction. The Republic is all of us. Together. The State in its articulations, the Regions, the Municipalities, the Provinces. The institutions, the Government, the Parliament. Women and men who work in public administration. Intermediate bodies, associations. The vitality of the third sector, the generosity of volunteering. The Republic – our homeland – is made up of women and men who are committed to their families. The Republic is in the civic sense of those who pay taxes because this serves to make Italy work and therefore for the common good.

The Republic is in the sacrifice of those who, wearing a uniform, risk to ensure everyone’s safety. In Italy as in many international missions. The Republic is in the fatigue of those who work and in the anxiety of those looking for work. In the commitment of those who study. In the spirit of solidarity of those who care for others. In the initiative of those who do business and create jobs. Removing obstacles is a shared commitment that requires unity of purpose, cohesion and moral strength. It is thanks to all this that Italy has resisted and achieved results that inspire confidence.

Our ability to react to the crisis generated by the pandemic is demonstrated by the significant economic growth that occurred in 2021 and 2022. Our companies, at every level, were able, as soon as possible, to restart with momentum: they had the strength to react and, often, to renew oneself. Exports of our products held up and even increased. Italy has returned in a very short time to be a destination for thousands of people from all over the world. The beauty of our places and of our nature has once again exercised a formidable capacity of attraction.

So there are concrete reasons that nourish our hope but a look at the horizon is needed, a vision of the future. Let’s think of the new technologies, the extraordinary results of scientific research, medicine, the new frontiers of space, underwater exploration. Scenarios unthinkable until a few years ago and now before us. Global challenges, always. Because it is modernity, with its continuous change, that is global. And it is in this scenario, largely unprecedented, that we measure the value and relevance of our strategic choices: Europe, the Western choice, our alliances. Our primary responsibility in the area we define as the enlarged Mediterranean. Our privileged relationship with Africa. We must stay in our time, not in the past, with intelligence and passion. To do this we need to change the way we interpret reality.

We must learn to read the present with the eyes of tomorrow. Thinking of rejecting change, of giving up modernity is not only a mistake: it is also an illusion. Change must be guided, innovation must be interpreted to improve our living conditions, but it cannot be removed. Rather, the challenge is to plan tomorrow with courage. Securing the planet, and therefore our future, the future of humanity, means first of all tackling the issue of energy transition concretely. Energy is what allows our societies to live and progress. The complex work required to switch from traditional sources, polluting and harmful to health and the environment, to renewable energies, represents the new frontier of our economic systems. It is no coincidence that on these issues, and in particular for the affirmation of a new ecological culture, we register the mobilization and participation of many young people.

The other change we are experiencing, and whose extent we probably still struggle to understand, concerns digital transformation. The use of digital technologies has already changed our lives, our habits and probably the ways of thinking and experiencing interpersonal relationships. The new generations already fully experience this new dimension. The quantity and quality of data, their speed can be elements placed at the service of the growth of people and communities. They can help overcome backwardness and gaps, simplify citizens’ lives and modernize our society. Appropriate choices must be made, promoting a digital culture that guarantees citizens’ freedoms.

The third major investment in the future is in schools, universities and scientific research. It is there that we prepare the protagonists of tomorrow’s world. It is there that we train the girls and boys who will have to deal with the complexity of those global phenomena which will require adequate skills, which we are not always able to guarantee today. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan pushes Italy towards these goals. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity. We owe it to our young people and their future.

Speaking of young people I would like – for a moment – to address them directly: we are all affected by the tragedy of the many deaths on the roads. Too many kids lose their lives at night in car accidents, due to speed, lightness, alcohol or drug consumption. When you drive, your life and the lives of others are in your hands. Don’t destroy it for a moment of imprudence. Don’t cancel your future. Dear fellow citizens, let’s look to tomorrow with a new look. Let’s look to tomorrow with the eyes of young people. We look at their faces, we gather their hope. Let’s make them ours. Let’s ensure that the future of the younger generations is not only what remains of the present but is the result of an exercise of conscience on our part. Escaping the claim to choose for them, to condition their path. The Republic thrives on everyone’s participation. This is the meaning of the freedom guaranteed by our democracy. This is above all the reason why we have faith. Best wishes!”