A call at the Quirinale

President Sergio Mattarella spoke on 21 October 2026 at a ceremony at the Quirinale, where the insignia of the Order of Merit for Labour were handed to the Cavalieri del Lavoro named on 2 June 2026, according to most reports. Il Messaggero says the event also honoured the alfieri, students who stood out in their studies. Addressing an audience of business leaders, Mattarella framed the treatment of young people as a question for the whole country. He called on institutions and all social forces to make it a priority, and asked for a broad outlook that looks beyond short-term fixes.

“Society cannot approach young people with indifference or, worse, with petty underestimation.”

Malaise, insecurity and emigration

Mattarella described a malaise among young people, a sense of insecurity about the future, and a fear of subjugation or marginalization. He argued that the prospects of young people are decisive for the direction of society, the economy and ways of life, and that present worries must be matched by planning for the future. Il Messaggero reports that he recalled the flight of talent, with 630,000 people under 35 having left the country since 2023. He also described the negative balance of youth migration as a serious burden for Italy. Many young people would come back, he said, if offered a path to work and life that let them fulfil themselves.

“It is a great social question. A priority that must involve sensitive institutions and all forces of society.”

Clashes and the government's response

Il Messaggero links the speech to violence in Milan, which Mattarella had earlier called unacceptable while speaking in Imperia, asking for reflection on its root causes. The newspaper says he did not refer directly to the clashes in this speech. Il Giornale describes the remarks as coming in the days of clashes involving young and very young people. The cabinet approved a tougher measure against minors who commit crimes on the day before the ceremony, and Il Messaggero reports that the government answered within 48 hours with a new security decree.

Business, trade and the international backdrop

Mattarella said businesses generate value but need fertile ground, with human capital at the centre, meaning people able to express themselves and free from need. He tied enterprise to study, describing the link between firms and schools as a meeting between generations, and said widespread local enterprise counters depopulation in Italy's inner areas. He noted that 2025 closed with a positive balance in new business creation, which he called an encouraging sign.

“Businesses generate value but they cannot do everything on their own.”

On the international stage, Il Messaggero says he listed senseless wars of aggression, the erosion of international law, protectionist barriers, neo-imperialist policies, insecurity on sea routes and energy price rises feeding inflation. He warned that these trends threaten free trade and the very freedoms of the Italian way of life. The newspaper also reports that he criticized so-called magnates in the style of Elon Musk, without naming him.