Enrico Letta, special guest of the ZF Gala 2025, Monday, November 17: We are lucky to have been born in Europe in the right century and we must do everything possible not to waste the destiny we have inherited. Europe is imperfect but irreplaceable. It is time to act to make it stronger and more competitive

Enrico Letta, former prime minister of Italy: We are lucky to have been born in Europe in the right century and we must do everything possible not to waste the destiny we inherited. Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy and the special guest of this year's edition of the ZF Gala, was mandated by the European Council to produce a report to identify the weak points of the EU economy and to come up with solutions to make Europe stronger and more competitive, to be able to stand up to America, China and India. Letta's report «Much more than a market» was published in April 2024. To make it, the former Italian prime minister traveled all over Europe, visiting 65 cities, attending more than 400 meetings and talking to or listening to thousands of people. In addition to the report, two books were born from this trip: «Des idées nouvelles pour l'Europe», published in October 2024, and «Europa. Última oportunidad», published in March 2025, both representing, like the report, a call to action. The first book, says Letta, is the result of «a major collective exercise», a dialogue with those who shape Europe in the economic, political, university fields, but also of discussions with «passionate citizens and dissatisfied citizens». The financial disasters of 2008 and 2011 put the European project under intense pressure, and this weakening was exacerbated by a series of traumatic events: the migration crisis, Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis that followed. For Enrico Letta, this succession of crises demonstrated that Europe, however imperfect and criticized it may be, is «irreplaceable», but that the Union, and its central pillar, the single market, must be rethought. This «logbook» of a passionate European makes us aware of the extent of the achievements and the possibilities created by the single market in the last more than 30 years. Today, the European Union is making its way in a world of geopolitical conflicts. The purpose of the book is to propose ideas for accelerating the energy transition, innovation and reindustrialization and for strengthening the European bloc in the face of Putin's imperialism. «We are lucky to have been born in Europe in the right century, and we must do everything possible not to waste the destiny we have inherited. This book is both a hymn to Europe and a call to action to be worthy of its greatness», writes Enrico Letta regarding the second book, «Europe. Última oportunidad». Today, the EU finds itself in a world of conflicts of all kinds. How to deal with them and find the most effective solutions is a primary objective for all its member states and for those aspiring to become members. «Europe is imperfect, but it is irreplaceable. It is time to act. This is our last chance. Now, more than ever, inertia means decline», writes Enrico Letta.
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