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114Maria Eleonora Guasconico-operation was not only instrumental to the development of a concerted policy onemployment, but reflected, on one hand, the greater role played by the trade unionsin the Italian political system. On the other hand, a more sustained dialoguebetween some sections of the Christian Democrat Party with the Labour movementwas intended as a countermeasure against the serious social and economicproblems of the country. A consolidated Italian network was emerging inside theEuropean Labour movement, illustrated by the appointment of Carlo Savoini, 51 aCISL (Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori) unionist, as general secretaryof the European Confederation of Free Trade Unions from 1969 to 1972 and BrunoStorti, general secretary of the CISL, as president of the InternationalConfederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), from 1965 to 1972. In June 1971 theItalian government presented the Council of ministers with an importantmemorandum entitled La politica dell'impiego nella Comunità, 52 which paved theway to a widespread debate in the EC institutions on the need to develop a commonsocial policy favouring free circulation of manpower and dealing with the lessdeveloped areas such as the South of Italy. 53 As a consequence, in 1972 the Councildecided to establish a Fund for regional development and to use the resourcesallocated to the EAGGF in order to finance initiatives for the development of theMezzogiorno.In spite of Italian and German efforts, the Davignon Report, 54 drawn up inOctober 1970, concerning the question of political co-operation, wasdisappointing. The mechanism set up was extremely simple: the Foreign ministerswould meet twice a year, under the chairmanship of the Foreign minister of thecountry holding the Community presidency. Ministerial meetings would beprepared by a committee composed by the directors of political affairs, who were tomeet four times a year. Any references to defence or security issues were excluded;the Italian request to strengthen the role of European institutions was rejected; therewere no new institutions at all and the Commission was given only a «foot in thedoor», given that it had been invited to render views public should the work of theministers have any effect on the activities of the EC. 55 Aldo Moro seemed critical:51. Carlo Savoini would later become Director of the DG V office for social dialogue.52. ECMA, Folder 30541, Memorandum of the Italian government on Community employmentpolicy.53. See M.E. GUASCONI, Paving the Way for a European Social Dialogue. Italy, the Trade Unionsand the Shaping of a European Social Policy after the Hague Conference of 1969, in: Journal ofEuropean Integration History, 1(2003), pp.87-111.54. On the Davignon report see: D. ALLEN, R. RUMMEL and W. WESSELS, European PoliticalCooperation: towards a Foreign Policy for Western Europe, Butterworth Scientific, London,1982; C. HILL (ed.), National Foreign Policies and European Political Cooperation, George Allen& Unwin, London, 1983; P. IFESTOS, European Political Cooperation. Towards a Frameworkof Supranational Diplomacy?, Aldershot, Avebury, 1987, p.148; S.J. NUTTAL, EuropeanPolitical Co-operation, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992, pp.46-47.55. PRO, PREM, 15/62, Memorandum, Political Unification, The Davignon Report, without dateConfidential.