During the communications segment of the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale), Mirko Dolcini (D-ML) opened by remembering Matteo Fiorini before turning to the Association Agreement with the European Union, calling for a referendum and greater clarity on how the deal will be implemented, its costs, and support for businesses. In the closing part of his speech, he also addressed the issue of child abuse and recent international investigations. The full remarks follow below.
Mirko Dolcini (D-ML): I join in mourning Matteo Fiorini and renew my condolences to his family and to all who knew and loved him. Personally, I did not know him as deeply as some of those who shared their memories here today. But in my own life — first as president of a trade association, then as a councillor, and even as a boy when I would cross paths with him at church — I had the chance to witness his sensitivity and kindness, along with his expertise in various fields. I believe it’s important to remember what he may have taught our community through his own life experience: kindness and sensitivity. We rightly and dutifully remember the virtues of those who leave us, but he showed through the way he lived that such recognition must be given continuously, even in life, to everyone we meet and know. We must devote ourselves to sensitivity and kindness because, yes, in every field we may be rivals, but never enemies. We must cultivate good sense, kindness and sensitivity, just as Matteo did and as he taught us.
I’ll now change subject and turn to a topic already touched on by the colleague who spoke before me. Regarding the Association Agreement, we are moving toward its signing, expected by September or, at the latest, October. That’s fine, but there is still no discussion about the referendum. I still hear no reasoning from the Government or the majority on the referendum: it simply isn’t being discussed. And this is a mistake. It is a mistake for two reasons that my party and I have expressed in many ways and that I will now summarize. First: the referendum is an ethical matter, a question of democracy. But even setting aside ethics and democracy — which alone should be reason enough — a referendum is needed to give popular legitimacy to the signing of the Agreement, since the entire population will then have to apply it. To implement an agreement that will inevitably be difficult — one may like it or not, but it will have a major impact — it is necessary for the population to be able to say that they chose the Association Agreement, precisely to avoid future problems in its implementation and enforcement.
Even on social media, as someone mentioned earlier, I see talk of democracy from councillors present here today. I also hear talk of freedom in an open letter from my friend Bugli. I’ve also noticed the controversy — which isn’t really a controversy but a fact we must reflect on — regarding the San Marino flags during the feast of our patron saint on September 3rd: many years ago they were displayed everywhere, but lately fewer and fewer are seen. We must ask ourselves why. Among the many possible reasons, perhaps it’s also because the population doesn’t feel involved in institutional life, including in important decisions like this one. When we talk about democracy or freedom, we must understand that these words cannot remain mere rhetoric — we must act, be concrete, and involve our population.
Speaking of the Association Agreement, we also cannot ignore the feared temporary nature of its enforcement — meaning, from what I understand, that once signed, the Government and the majority intend to make it immediately effective. But I ask myself questions that we should all be asking: are we ready? Is it necessary to make it immediately effective? Once signed, could we not wait? Why not wait? Because, in my view, there is not enough preparation, either within the Public Administration or, even less so, at the level of businesses. Are companies being told what regulations they will have to apply? Should we wait for the Government, the Executive, someone, or the trade associations to take care of it? How do we intend to organize ourselves to support our businesses, given that this Agreement, we’re told, is being made mostly for the benefit of businesses? I would say more for the banks, but let’s say it’s meant mainly for businesses. What are we doing to support the very businesses we claim want and need this Agreement? To me, it seems like nothing — but I’m asking. Is it up to the trade associations alone to handle this? Is the situation being properly explained to them? For instance, shouldn’t there be a support plan to accompany the Agreement’s implementation? I recall — perhaps in a motion, or maybe even in a budget law — mention of a business advisory service. What happened to that? This is a question; I would simply like some answers. Does it exist? Does it not? Does it need to be implemented? Is there demand for it? Is anyone asking for it? Everything seems so vague. It all feels a bit too superficial to me. I’m not here to stir controversy, but because the impact will be real — not only socially, culturally, and in terms of the effort required, but also economically. We know this. I believe that, at least in the first year — correct me if I’m wrong — once all is accounted for, some 15 to 20 million euros will need to be spent on the Association Agreement and the related adjustments. My question is: where will that money come from? I imagine there will be a solution. What is it?
I’ll now switch topics entirely to raise another point. Many of you already know about this, though perhaps it hasn’t received enough media attention, not only in San Marino but especially in Italy and in the major international outlets. We are here also to address a current issue — thankfully with much more restraint and far fewer implications — concerning pedophilia and the risk of child abuse. A few days ago in the United States, Florida’s Attorney General announced that, in the span of five days, 163 children had been rescued — children who had been victims of, among other things, human trafficking and sexual abuse. And yet this news did not receive the coverage it deserved. It is, however, an important development, because it gives strength to the fight against this horrifying phenomenon. Another piece of news: the recovery and identification efforts for these children also involved Italy. And this too was reported only a few days ago — the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome has opened an investigation to determine whether Italian citizens have ties to Jeffrey Epstein’s network. These, too, are news items worth mentioning. In this chamber, we rightly discuss all kinds of topics. We talk about Italian and sometimes international issues, and it is right to do so, because we are part of the world, and unfortunately we too have experienced these problems — though, thankfully, in a far more limited and contained way. But we must not lower our guard.
