Italian Prime Minister Renzi Visits Washington: Seeks to Reenergize his Reform Agenda and Bring Ren

He is described as young, energetic and committed to a program of political and constitutional reform designed to move his country out of economic stagnation and its political quagmire. Matteo Renzi came to office in April 2014 at the head of a new generation of leadership that promised to rebuild the center of Italian politics.

His Partito Democratico (PD) brings together key elements of the two most important political parties in Italy’s post-World War II history, the Social Democratic remnants of the Italian Communist Party and the progressive elements of the Christian Democratic Movement, to form a center-left coalition that gained electoral success by envisioning Italy’s future, not dwelling on past glories or nationalist fears.

Renzi’s faction of the PD has sometimes been described by the Italian press as the “New Right” of the Old Left. His political models have been Tony Blair’s “New Labour” movement in the United Kingdom and Bill Clinton’s Democratic Leadership Group in the U.S. Both of these men met with political success by moderating the expectations of the labor/left wings of their party and, at the same time, embracing liberal market economics . . . though with a significant dose of heart and a heightened social conscience. Renzi’s version emphasizes both opposition to the emotional populism of Berlusconi’s nationalist appeal and, at the same time, opposition to the economic austerity measures that have characterized European Union policies elsewhere.

The prime minister’s time in Washington, like his approach to government, was energetic and fast paced, designed to reenergize his reform efforts at home and to bring Italy back onto the European and world stages as a leading actor. In the course of one day, he met with the editorial board of The Washington Post, delivered an address to an enthusiastic audience of students and faculty at Georgetown University, and was the guest of honor at a dinner hosted by Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero. The following day Renzi had two meetings with President Obama. They discussed global security as well as Italy’s efforts to undertake political reforms and spur economic growth.


Step by Step . . . and an Occasional Stumble

Observers of Italian politics recall that when Renzi entered the prime minister’s office he established a website called Passo dopo Passo (“Step by Step”). It was designed to track progress toward his many promised reforms during his first one thousand days in office. Renzi’s ambitious pledge was to enact one reform per month, a pace that would have demonstrated a remarkable mastery of Italy’s political machinery and that was destined to become more hyperbole than reality. As with most political change agents, the realities of the system quickly induced both a dose of reality and a sense of frustration.

Still, Prime Minister Renzi has met with a measure of success. He has managed to pass a program called Unlock Italy (“Sblocca Italia”) designed to use state infrastructure spending to support Italian companies and promote job creation. His “Jobs Act,” a reform of Italy’s labor market, has loosened highly restrictive employment laws that discouraged hiring by virtually assuring lifetime employment once an employee was hired. Under Renzi’s new law it becomes easier for businesses to terminate an unsatisfactory employee and therefore encourages businesses to take on new employees.

What is most refreshing in Renzi’s outlook is his willingness to tackle Italy’s most difficult issues despite realizing his positions may cost him his job. He recognizes that he could lose the next election. “I hope not,” he told both The Washington Post editorial board and the Georgetown students, “but I could lose. But I absolutely cannot lose my dignity.” Even as he pushes his reform agenda, Renzi recognizes that fundamental reform of Italy’s constitution, its electoral system, tax code and justice system is not sufficient. “The real point,” he insists, “is to build a future in Italy, to imagine a future that will be even more beautiful than the past.”


Valuing the Past, Envisioning the Future

Speaking at Georgetown University before a group largely comprised of students, Prime Minister Renzi’s lyrical and creative English inspired his audience in Washington and, hopefully, had a similar impact on Italian audiences who saw the speech replayed and parsed by the Italian media.

Noting his academic audience, the prime minister acknowledged the role of the university as both a custodian of identity — treasuring and preserving the past, and a laboratory of ideas — probing the present and shaping the future. At the same time, he told the crowd, “The future is more interesting than the past.” Renzi described Italy “like sleeping beauty in the woods for too long. We are here to wake it up, to give direction for the future. It's not possible to backtrack on the reforms. It would be crazy to waste this opportunity. The future,” he noted, “is not a gift; it is an achievement.”

Yet Prime Minister Renzi made it abundantly clear that he values Italy’s past, particularly its artistic heritage and its Renaissance humanism. These traditions, he argued, communicate the humanistic values that are at the core of Italy’s, Europe’s and the world’s great cultural traditions. Those values, he insisted, must be at the center of the international community’s response to extremism and terrorism. “Culture,” Renzi stated, “is the only way to fight against terrorism.”

To drive home his point about the importance of humane values and culture, Prime Minister Renzi offered his audience a telling value judgment. While technical and scientific education is critical to developing the skills necessary to shape the future, he observed, schools must also “create citizens,” opening their hearts and minds. “I prefer,” he opined, “a person who cries in front of a masterpiece by Leonardo [DaVinci], to a person who knows everything about mathematics but has lost vision and idealism.”


From Cultural Vision to Global Security Concerns

Prime Minister Renzi’s extended meetings with President Obama allowed both men to underscore the continuing importance of the historic relationship between Italy and the United States. Obama noted that, “Italy is one of our closest and strongest allies. The United States would not be what we are or who we are without the contributions of generations of Italian-Americans.”

Renzi followed up by noting that Italy is celebrating the 70th anniversary of liberation from fascism and Nazi occupation. Expressing deep pride in the Italian partisans who resisted fascism, Renzi acknowledged that their efforts could not have been successful “without the sacrifice and the commitment of the American Army — young men and women, who didn’t even know Italy, who died for my grandfather, for my father, for my family and my children.”

The two leaders covered a great deal of ground in their talks ranging from economic concerns to global security challenges. Both agreed that new economic models that encourage responsible spending and renewed investment must be pursued in the aftermath of economic austerity programs that have induced considerable pain and disturbance but have encouraged little economic growth. They discussed the international community’s response to the Russian incursions in Ukraine as well as the framework agreement that the United States has reached with Iran as a step toward a comprehensive agreement intended to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Both leaders pointed to the importance of the 2015 World Expo being hosted in Milan, Italy, organized around the theme, “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” While the Expo will showcase Italian cuisine and wines, its focus will be on feeding a growing planet, combating hunger and malnutrition while building sustainable ecosystems. Renzi dramatized these themes, “It is just not possible for us to have a world in which one billion people die because they are obese or because they don’t have enough to eat.”

Perhaps the issues that received the most attention, however, were the growing influence of ISIL (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) across the Middle East and North Africa as well as the chaotic situation in Libya. President Obama welcomed “Italy’s leadership role across the Mediterranean,” and indicated that, “the prime minister and I have agreed to work together even more intensively to encourage cooperation on threats coming from Libya as well as [to promote] additional coordination with other partners to see how we can stabilize what has become a very difficult and deadly situation.”

Prime Minister Renzi added that the complex situation in the Mediterranean Sea, including Libya, goes beyond immediate security concerns. “It has to do with justice and the dignity of humankind,” he insisted. Renzi pointed to the important diplomatic initiatives to find a solution to the Libyan turmoil under the leadership of United Nations Special Representative Bernardino León. He also noted that, “The only way to reach peace in Libya is that the tribes finally accept that they are going to go toward stabilization and peace. Either the tribes do this or no one is going to achieve this.”

Prime Minister Renzi also focused attention on one additional aspect of the Libya issue — the waves of refugees attempting to flee unrest in Africa through Libya. He pointed out that what began as a humanitarian concern has now transmuted into large-scale human trafficking, with tragic results in the loss of life and dangerous possibilities raising the risk of terrorist infiltration into Europe through Libya. “The Mediterranean is a sea and not a cemetery,” Renzi asserted.


Principles Override Political Expediency

President Obama wrapped up the joint press conference with Prime Minister Renzi by recalling that, “The reason there is a unified and prosperous Europe is because enormous sacrifices were made on behalf of ideals and on behalf of principles. If those principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty start getting ignored, then that carries a cost for Europe and for the world.” He noted that, “One of the things Matteo and I share, and I think the American people and the Italian people share, is a sense of values and principles that sometimes override political expediency.”

Prime Minister Renzi underscored Obama’s point by noting, “This great alliance, guided by the United States, is a reference point not just for our choices but for our ideals, the cultural battle that all of us have to fight.”