Brussels, 24/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - On the initiative of the Italian Council of the European Movement (CIME), a “Crocodile Club for a European Italy” has been set up in Rome, echoing the name chosen for a club set up in Strasbourg by Altiero Spinelli in the early 1980s to promote a new treaty for the European Union. The Crocodile Club will be an arena for Italian reflection and debate, along with the launch of the political action needed in this difficult time in the European integration process. The initiative kicked off with a meeting of the European Commission's representation office in Italy, chaired by the CIME president Pier Virgilio Dastoli with fine speeches by the former Italian prime minister Giuliano Amato; the former Italian chief-of-staff, General Vincenzo Camporini; the former Italian permanent representative to the EU, Ambassador Rocco Cangelosi; and Professor Paolo Guerrieri. Some two dozen economists, lawyers and defence experts attended the meeting. The participants explained that among the first members of the Crocodile Club are the former president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi; the deputy director-general of BankItalia, Ignazio Visco; the director-general of the Italian ministry of the economy, Fabrizio Barca; and more besides. The Crocodile Club aims at a hundred members among figureheads from academia, culture, the business world and civil society ,and has an eye on the next European elections (June 2014) and the Italian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2014. (Gp/transl.fl)