Former Italian Prime Minister Speaks to Salve Community

By: Sarah Araujo
Posted In: Campus News

On Oct. 21, 2009, Romano Prodi, former prime minister of Italy and past president of the European Commission, gave a lecture entitled “Can Europe Change the World?” The lecture was sponsored by the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy.

The long line outside of the O’Hare Academic Center was an indicator of how many people were interested in hearing this man speak. The lecture was recorded and played on a television for viewers in a different room upstairs. A great number of Salve Regina students and teachers, as well as the general public, came to hear Prodi.

Prodi is the former prime minister of Italy and past president of the European Commission. He earned economic and law degrees from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan and a doctorate in economics from the London School of Economic and Political Science. During his time as prime minister, Prodi privatized telecommunications, reformed the government’s employment and pension policies and significantly reduced the budget deficit in order to get Italy accepted into the European Monetary Union. Prodi is also a distinguished scholar who has served as professor of industrial organization and industrial policy at the University of Bologna’s Faculty of Political Science. Prodi is currently a professor-at-large at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies.

Prodi opened his lecture by introducing the European Union. The European Union is composed of 27 sovereign member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. He explained how each member was examined before membership. The selection was based on democracy, a market economy and basic human rights. The goal was for security and prosperity. The most exciting membership to him was the one of Romania. Prodi explained the significance of peace within the European Union. He also explained that Europe is a spectator, not an actor.

Prodi furthered his lecture by answering the question of the title of his lecture, “Can Europe change the world?” Europe can indeed change the world, according to Prodi. However, this can only happen under certain conditions. One condition includes addressing the conflict of having 22 different languages spoken within Europe. Another condition is the transition of Europe from a spectator to an actor, which Prodi believes can only be achieved through a crisis. Prodi announced that before Europe can change the world, Europe itself must be changed.

Comments and questions from the audience followed Prodi’s lecture. The questions ranged from the state of Georgia, immigration, and to health care. He addressed each question, leaving the audience satisfied.