ROME, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The idea of a multi-speed European Union (EU), which is being discussed as a way to push integration faster and deeper, is meant to be an ever inclusive path, a prominent Italian analyst has said.
"The idea of a multi-speed Europe is nothing new, but a reality within the bloc," Ettore Greco, director of the Institute for International Affairs (IAI) in Rome, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
The scholar mentioned the euro-zone as main example. "We have the single currency area, now counting 19 countries out of current 28 members of the EU (including the UK), as well as other forms of differentiation within the bloc," he said.
"There is nothing wrong in it -- the only issue is to take advantage of such possibility in order to move forward."
Yet, it must be certain -- and it should "be repeated on every possible occasion, and with the strongest determination" -- that any project of deeper integration among some EU countries has to remain open, the analyst stressed.
"Any similar plan should remain always inclusive for other EU countries to join, if and when they decide... As it is with the euro currency."
"Some countries have remained outside the euro since the beginning," Greco explained.
"Yet, the euro-zone remains open, and those countries are always free to join in, provided they fulfil the required criteria, which is crucial to the solidity of the project itself."
Meanwhile, EU officials and sherpas in Brussels have been engaged in drafting a declaration of unity to mark the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the EU's founding treaty in Rome next Saturday.
The six founding members of the European integration (including Italy), and the EU Commission are endorsing the idea of different groups moving at different speeds within the bloc.
Other EU members -- and especially the four Central European countries gathering in the so-called Visegrad group -- oppose the idea for fear it would be a way to cut out smaller or weaker partners.
The four nations -- also called Visegrad Group or V4 -- are Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic. They are in a cultural and political alliance.
Such a row would result in a compromise, and an open mention to the "multi-speed Europe" in the Rome declaration was not likely, according to Greco.
The analyst would rather expect Rome's final statement to contain a soft reference to different paces of integration within the framework of the EU treaty.
All EU member states' leaders will attend the official ceremony in Rome on March 25, but the UK. The British government has in fact announced it will trigger the process to exit the EU on March 29.
Yet, the Brexit is only one of the many challenges the EU was facing today, including relevant changes in the global environment. In this perspective, China's recent endorsement of a deeper European integration was much appreciated, he said.
"We are very satisfied by it, and also by the statements (in support of globalization) Chinese President Xi Jinping made at the 2017 World Economic Forum in Davos," Greco said.
The EU was in favor of globalization, provided there were tools to govern such process and avoid its negative side effects.
"Particularly in a phase in which the new U.S. administration puts into question the idea of a system based on free trade, it is even more relevant for the EU to develop cooperation with countries considering free trade as a key point in international relations," he explained.
The analyst recalled there were negotiations on-going to conclude a Sino-EU deal on investments.
"In the future, I hope it will be possible to negotiate a free-trade agreement as well," he added.
