Spearheading discussions at this national roundtable discussion was the affirmation that Italy could become a major force in sustainable prosperity, but in order to fully achieve this goal, it must work further on resolving its economic, environmental and social problems, and continue to maintain its strengths. While the country has an outstanding track record in health, wellbeing and lifestyle, there was a consensus that it must not rest on its laurels. Indeed, it was deemed vital for the country to take advantage of the important turning point offered by the crisis to formulate a strategy to steer development in this area over the coming decades.
It was noted that health – in Italy as in other Western countries – has made huge strides in recent decades. For instance, in half a century, life expectancy has increased by three months per year. While this was acknowledged as a great achievement, the participants felt that it should lead to the pursuit of an even more ambitious goal, namely, the increase of life expectancy in good health. The suggestion was that Italy could be a leader in this field, by offering a healthy and sustainable lifestyle that serves as a virtuous model for other countries.
Nevertheless, to achieve this vision takes more than just courage and political will. In particular, certain enabling factors were seen as necessary, such as population growth, industrial restructuring (with a shift towards a green economy), and culture. These were viewed as key ingredients for ensuring the long-term sustainability not just of the welfare system which is directly linked to health and wellbeing, but of the country’s economy as a whole.
It was argued that in pursuing these objectives, it is imperative to look at health not only as heading of expenditure in government budgets, or as a target sector for investment aimed at improving the quality of life of citizens. Instead, health should be particularly regarded as a productive sector – one which, moreover, already boasts some outstanding achievements. In this respect, the participants cited the performance over the past 20 years of the pharmaceutical industry, which has succeeded in quadrupling its exports to the point of overtaking the clothing industry and becoming the fourth-largest Made in Italy export sector.
Those in attendance conceded, however, that with the crisis having hit the country hard, it is difficult to speak of Italy as a major force of prosperity without considering the heavy economic impact of the changes that have occurred in recent years. Yet, in order to assess overall wellbeing, it is necessary look to the future with a set of indicators that go beyond GDP levels and which reconcile short- and long-term objectives, and local and global priorities, giving precedence to forms of growth that respect social, economic and environmental values.
Shaping the nature of the wealth obtained in creating prosperity was viewed as ultimately being a goal shared by all Western countries. There were thus calls for Italy to act as soon as possible to make the most of its strong suits, steering its economy towards high value-added sectors capable of marrying wellbeing with product excellence. The participants emphasized that the Made in Italy sectors are not short of success stories, and that Italy’s current presidency of the Council of the European Union, along with its hosting of the Expo 2015 event afterwards, are an unmissable opportunity for the country to renew itself and pull together. Indeed, marshaling its cultural, scientific and manufacturing excellence could serve to increase the competitiveness of the country, with positive consequences for the economy, but also for the welfare of Italians, after protracted years of crisis.