In the darkest days of European history, America stood close by us and today we stand close by America. Nothing will ever be the same.

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

Berlusconi is no longer fit to lead our country.

If you don't want to call it a European army, don't call it a European army. You can call it 'Margaret', you can call it 'Mary-Anne', you can find any name, but it is a joint effort for peace-keeping missions - the first time you have a joint, not bilateral, effort at European level.

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

Are we all clear that we want to build something that can aspire to be a world power? In other words, not just a trading bloc but a political entity. Do we realise that our nation states, taken individually, would find it far more difficult to assert their existence and their identity on the world stage.

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.