Roberto’s dream, Giorgia’s nightmare, Dom’s freedom
EU of 2025 is very far from Benigni’s Spinelli-inspired vision of a federal utopia
Roberto Benigni’s two-hour monologue Il Sogno (The Dream) on RAI television last week, captivated audiences for different reasons.
Benigni – with his signature exuberance – traced the history of the European Union, eulogising the federalist vision of Altiero Spinelli and the Ventotene Manifesto – a dream of a united Europe where national borders disappear and where we are united as a harmonious whole.
Earlier on the same day, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni pitched a sharp counterpoint, rejecting the Ventotene Manifesto’s call for federal power, declaring: “This is not the Italy I want” and insisting on national autonomy.
She critiqued the Ventotene Manifesto in parliament, arguing that its federalist fervour undermines the Italy she advocates, one embedded in sovereignty and national identity. No choking under a federalist duvet.
Her words struck a chord in a Europe where, from Brexit Britain to Hungary, resistance to Brussels’s influence is strong. Meloni’s position reflects a sentiment of collaboration, yes; submission, no; highlighting a fault line beneath the European project since its inception.
Her reproach framed Benigni’s dream as a beautiful but impractical ideal, thus the EU’s ongoing tension between integration and independence.
With this context in the background, Malta is celebrating its 46th Freedom Day anniversary, marking the withdrawal of British services, a milestone of sovereignty, and offers a historical match.
Following George Borg Olivier’s Independence in 1964, under Dom Mintoff, Malta became a Republic in 1974 and pursued a non-aligned foreign policy, asserting Malta’s autonomy. On March 31, 1979, the last British troops left Malta, ending nearly two centuries of colonial rule and transforming Malta from a British military outpost, cementing its status as a sovereign state.
Freedom Day remains a testament to his legacy: a small nation’s refusal to be a pawn in others’ games.
Seen together, in the span of a fortnight, the foregoing instances weave a narrative about Europe’s past, present and future.
For two uninterrupted hours, Benigni passionately spun the EU story – from the Treaty of Rome to the euro – into a poetic epic. At its core was Spinelli’s aspiration – a manifesto he wrote with Ernesto Rossi and Eugenio Colorni in 1941 during fascist confinement – of a federal Europe that transcends national partitions. It became the programme of the Movimento Federalista Europeo.
Malta recoils at federalism, favouring a ‘multi-speed’ Europe- Helena Dalli
Benigni does point out the limp influence of the directly elected European Parliament, which is sidelined in important areas like taxation, defence or treaty changes, where unanimity in the Council or European Council dominates.
The Council’s ability to negotiate behind closed doors and reflect national interests often overshadows the European Parliament’s public, deliberative role.
Benigni captures this imbalance, as a federalist dreaming of a strong, centralised legislature akin to a national parliament.
Looking realistically at Benigni’s oeuvre, it was nothing more than a love letter to a federal Europe; his oratory captivating us even though it could not be more disconnected from today’s experience.
Malta, an EU member state since 2004, symbolises this tension. It thrives on EU economic benefits – its GDP per capita outperforms the EU average – yet guards its sovereignty, rooted in Mintoff’s legacy.
Malta recoils at federalism, favouring a ‘multi-speed’ Europe where it can opt into unity without surrendering control.
Its neutrality, enshrined in its constitution, and resistance to centralised policies, such as taxation unanimity, echo Mintoff’s insistence on self-determination.
The EU of 2025 is very far from Benigni’s Spinelli-inspired vision of a federal utopia, it’s a patchwork of nations, each pulling between cooperation and independence.
Meloni’s present and Mintoff’s past resilience remind us why: autonomy, hard-won and fiercely guarded, remains a cornerstone of identity.
Mintoff and Meloni, though divided by ideology and era, converge on an instinctive defence of sovereignty: Mintoff against colonial residues, to shrug off Britain’s imperial yoke; Meloni’s nationalism against federalist paradigms.
Benigni’s Il Sogno may impress as a counterpoint, a plea for unity that overlooks the pride of nations forged in struggle, but it’s pragmatism that speaks to Europe’s perennial dilemma: that of a continent struggling with unity and independence – a tension no monologue, however passionate, can resolve.
Helena DalliHelena Dalli is a former European Commissioner.