In these discussions, I always emphasised the need for Italy to have greater sovereignty in relation to decisions relating to economic, military, and monetary matters. I doubt anyone has missed the point that today’s Italy is ever more similar to Italy in the seventeenth century when the slogan of the time was „Franza o Spagna purché se magna“ {Either France or Spain, as long as we can eat}. Substitute “France or Spain” with “Germany or the United States” and we find ourselves in the 21st century.