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Sep 04 2013 - 15:00

MART Sala Conferenze

Euro, What Future for the Single Currency

Sergio Cofferati

Sergio Cofferati, Member of the European Parliament, and Mario Cossali, Deputy Mayor of Rovereto and Isera.

The meeting is introduced by Mario Cossali.

The birth of the European single currency has been and continues to be a great opportunity for the countries of the Union. The creation of a large single market was not merely an economic fact; it alluded to the possibility of embodying a hope for political unity that has spoken to us about peace and progress since the time of the Ventotene Manifesto. Today, the euro is perceived as a cage, and the very concept of Europe does not enjoy great appeal among the populations. There are even those who speculate that we may soon see the end of the single currency, leading to the emergence of two euros: a stronger one for Germany and the Nordic countries and a weaker one for the countries of the Southern shore. What will happen, what will the future scenarios be, and what could be the best choices?

After graduating as an industrial technician, he began working at Pirelli in Milan and was a simple member of the FILCEA (CGIL) union. He progressed through the organizational ladder of the union, eventually becoming its general secretary in 1988. He was appointed to the national secretariat of CGIL in 1990 and became general secretary in 1994. His tenure as head of CGIL was one of the most challenging yet fruitful periods for the union itself, marked by significant achievements such as the 1993 concertation agreement, the 1995 pension reform, and the opposition to changes to Article 18 of the Workers' Statute. In 2002, he spoke in Rome before a crowd of about three million people during one of the largest post-war demonstrations in Italy. He completed his term as CGIL secretary in 2002 and was subsequently elected Mayor of Bologna.
Since 2007, he has been a member of the national committee for the Democratic Party, which brings together leaders of the future PD components. In 2009, he was elected to the European Parliament, where he served as Vice President of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee. He was also the coordinator of the Socialist and Democratic Group's members in the Special Committee on the Financial, Economic, and Social Crisis and is a substitute member of the Legal Affairs Committee.

A key figure in the labor and political struggles of the 1970s and 1990s, he served as deputy mayor of Rovereto and Isera. He has always been and continues to be actively engaged in the fields of social issues and culture.