The Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Mr. Andrea Perugini address the Italian community and The Netherlands during the celebrations the 74th anniversary of the Italian Republic in unprecedented circumstances. ” I cannot welcome you to raise your glass together and to emphasize the importance of this celebration – highlighting the innumerable, always astonishing, excellent Italian products in many areas.” he expressed.
“Italy has been hit hard by the pandemic. ” Ambassador Perugini said. “We have added a sad page to our history, but at the same time, we witness extraordinary individual, collective and institutional resilience, dedication, sacrifice and tireless effort. In Italy, I would particularly like to mention doctors, nurses, pharmacists and all other health workers, many of whom died in the performance of their duties. Our thoughts go out to all victims of the pandemic and health workers in particular. We have seen them work with the utmost effort to save lives with great professionalism and generosity.”
Ambassador Perugini remarked that European countries need long-term choices to tackle the economic crisis, and mentioned the new mass financial aid instruments put forward by the European Commission on 27 May.
“The recession effect occurs almost everywhere. Italy is not currently asking Dutch citizens to pay the Italian debt. We don’t even ask the Dutch taxpayer for a euro. Dutch citizens have no reason to think that they are economically disadvantaged in their relationship with Italy. We expect Europe to be able to act coherently and effectively in a common market benefiting both the Netherlands and Italy, because it is inconceivable that anyone could take advantage of this crisis. The crisis is affecting all of us, so a coherent and united approach to it is in our best interest.” Perugini said.
