26/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - Speaking about the meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday between Italian MEPs and the Italian Foreign Minster Renato Ruggiero (see yesterday's EUROPE p.5) the Democratici di sinistra MEP Pasqualina Napoletano said that Mr Ruggiero had confirmed his longstanding pro-European passion, welcomed the arrival of the single currency, reaffirmed the need for a "government of the economy" and stressed the irreversibility of the accession process. He praised the EP's position on the future Convention and argued in favour of a Federation of Nation States and a European Constitution. The MEP stressed the gap between Mr Ruggiero's European commitment and the deafening silence from the Italian government in the debate over the future of Europe, and slammed the decision (taken without the Minister's knowledge) of dropping the project for the great European aeroplane of the future, yet another indication of Eurosceptic trends that could distance Italy from the strategic decisions made at EU level.