Rome, Dec 19 (IANS): Giving the European Union a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council would give multilateralism a powerful boost, Italy's Lower House of Parliament's Speaker Roberto Fico said on Wednesday.
"If the EU spoke with a single voice on the international stage, including within the UN, multilateralism would receive a strong impulse," Fico told the Italian Senate, the Upper House of Parliament.
"It would also strengthen the system of international human rights protection," Fico said ahead of an address to the Senate by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
"These fundamental rights form the core of Europe's identity and shared values.
"For this reason, today I re-launch the proposal to give the EU a permanent seat on the Security Council," Fico added.