CELIAC DISEASE, ENERGY SECURITY, HR AND DEMOCRACY: A DINNER WITH MEP SERGIO COFFERATI
The Italian MEP of the Progressive Alliance of Socialist and Democrats is astonished about MEPs divisions on a bill to defend celiac disease allergic's rights. How a divided Europe is endangering the life of EU citizens also in other fields as energy and geopolitics
MILAN - We are members of the same Party, but MEP Sergio Cofferati has a quite different political orientation than the one I have: MEP Cofferati is a far left wing politician who believes that the Democratic Party should become a member of the European Socialist Party; I am a Christian-Democrat who supports a 'majoritarian' and liberal (in the US meaning of this concept) evolution of the Democratic Party, following the example of US Democrats.
Despite of ideological differences, MEP Cofferati and I fought together in some common battles. In 2009 Democratic Party's Congress, MEP Cofferati and I both supported actual Spokesman of the Italian Parliament Dario Franceschini's candidature to Democratic Party's Leadership.
During a dinner before a public interview during the Democratic Party's Feast in Cremona, MEP Cofferati said that also the defense of celiac disease allergic's rights is another common target he shares with me. Mr. Cofferati fought in the European Parliament to support a bill that introduces an apposite common label for the whole EU to certify gluten free products.
The bill would allow all EU celiac disease's allergic to recognize the products they can eat in all EU countries, without wasting time in long translations of food products labels.
The approval of the bill would be an extremely important step, in order to strengthen EU integration. It would also guarantee health to the citizens of a unified Europe, in which people have the opportunity to travel, leave and work in other EU countries far from their fatherland without any legal difficulty.
According to Mr Cofferati's worlds, the proposal was supported by MEPs from Italy, Spain and other EU southern countries. However, Northern EU states's MEPs blocked the bill's final approval.
I really appreciate MEP Cofferati's commitment in the support of the rights of celiac disease allergic, and I hope his initiative will be shared by other MEPs.
A matter of health and national security
The situation filed with celiac disease bill is quite similar to the one filed with Energy security. Without a common energy policy, the EU remains dependent on Russia and Algeria: two world powers that use gas and pipelines in order to reach geopolitical goals against independent post-colonial and post-Soviet countries.
The division of MEPs on Celiac Disease allergic, as well as the absence of a common EU energy policy, is endangering EU citizens' security.
The EU must ensure health and pair opportunities to those who suffer of an allergy that more and more frequently is arising.
At the same time, the EU should adopt a common energy policy as soon as possible, preferably in partnership with the USA, in order to strengthen EU member states national security.
The need of the Trans Atlantic Union
It seems strange, but it isn't: healthcare and energy security, as well as the spread of democracy and HR worldwide -the USA is more committed in this matter than the EU does- are topics that are filed each other.
The matter explained by MEP Cofferati also strengthens the need of a strong united Europe that must tie the relationship with the USA, in order to create the Trans Atlantic Union.
This project could allow both Europeans and Americans to defeat the economic concurrence by Russia, China and Brazil, and to defend worldwide western values as democracy, HR and Liberty, which are now in crisis.
Matteo Cazzulani
Free lance journalist and energy deals consultant m.cazzulani@gazeta.pl
2013-07-13
