Very encouraging answer of the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, to the letter of our President Gaetano Stella

At the time the COVID-19 crisis was reaching its pic and most countries were adopting strict confinement measures, our President, Mr. Gaetano Stella has sent a letter to the President of the European Parliament, the only institutions of the European Union that is directly elected by the people, in order to underline the critical role of our professions during and after the pandemic and to ask for measures of solidarity and support for our professionals and their SMEs.

Today we have the pleasure to share with you the answer of the President of the European Parliament, Mr. David Sassoli, to the President of CEPLIS.  In his letter Mr. Sassoli embraces our points of view and informs us that he has shared President Stella’s letter with the EP Committee responsible for SMEs in order to feed in the report the Committee in question is currently preparing on support to SMEs in the current crisis.

Obviously, these are very good news for our efforts to inform and contribute to effective, sustainable and ambitious solutions to the issues our sector is facing because of the pandemic and its implications for the economy. Sassoli’s letter creates a momentum for our position paper on the professions in the post-confinement era.

“Dear President Stella,

Thank you for your letter of 12 March 2020, in which you clearly describe how the covid19 crisis has affected Italy and the European Union, and in particular the liberal professions, which, as you  are rightly pointing out, contribute in an extraordinary way to the fight against the virus.

Regarding the above, the 15^th of May the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a recovery package of 2000 billion euros to face the repercussions of the Covid-19 crisis for the benefit of the economy of the European Union, its enterprises and its citizens. The Parliament has asked the Commission and the Member States to add the European Recovery Fund in the EU’s long-term budget, in order for it to not be used as a pretext for reducing the budget in question. In addition, the Parliament asked the Commission and the Council that these funds be disbursed mainly through grants and not in the form of loans.

The Commission, as you may have noticed, presented its recovery plan for the EU on the 27^th of May. The Parliament is now analyzing these proposals presented by the Commission, and will work towards a swift and ambitious agreement, both internally and with the Council, to ensure timely implementation for the benefit of the European citizens and the European economy.

I have transferred your letter to the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), which is the EP committee responsible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which is also preparing an own-initiative report on support for SMEs in the current crisis.

I once again thank you for your contribution to the debate and I invite you to follow, and further contribute, the European Parliament’s deliberations on this important issue.

Best Regards,

David Maria Sassoli “

The original letter in Italian is available here:

letter from President Sassoli