Welcome to Sharp Talk, the regular podcast of E-Sharp Magazine.

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This is Paul Adamson and I'm in conversation with Mario Monti.

Mario Monti is a former Prime Minister of Italy, a two-term European Commissioner for the

internal market and then competition policy, and is now a member of the Italian Senate.

Mario, I remember vividly about six years ago when you were Prime Minister,

Italy, giving a speech in Florence in Vlazubeckio when you proclaimed Europe is back in Italy, Italy is back in Europe.

Fast forward six years. How would you see the situation now?

Well, Italy, of course, is still in Europe. Europe, luckily enough, is still in Italy,

but so many things happen since in Italy

and in most European countries

concerning the

never easy, always fascinating

relationship between a member state and the EU that one must

periodically re-examine the state of minds and guts occasionally on this relationship.

Now, of course, Italy had its general election a few days ago.

Europe appeared to be some six months ago a key divisive topic in the pre-electural debate,

with the five-star movement and the league, formerly the Northern

League, but now a party across the country, pleading for some reconsideration of Italy's

membership of the Euro, if not of the EU.

Then after the Le Pen defeat against Macron, they have calmed down very much.

And now these two parties, the five-star of Luigi Di Mayo and the League of Matteo Salvini

...