We have to give ourselves a constitution which marks the birth of Europe as a political entity.

We must now face the difficult task of moving towards a single economy, a single political entity .. For the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire we have the opportunity to unite Europe.

We are involved in a constitution-building process of historic importance. The Convention should mark a new stage in European integration.

Think what a revolution it will be if we manage to get everyone to pay their taxes.

The problem of Italy is not really a question of age. Japan has an older population, and it is now in full economic recovery. The problem is that Italy is old in the structure of the society.

The Italian economy is certainly the weakest of the big European countries.

But Italy can only have any real influence on world affairs if it carries weight in Europe.