Giorgia Meloni chooses the arena of the Italian Parliament to renew his attack on the logic of the “fireplace” and the “anti-democratic method” to conduct negotiations on top jobs with the “conventio ad excludendum” method. At the eve of a crucial European council for the structures of the future commission, the Prime Minister asks the Chambers for a mandate to deal with an important role, perhaps of vice president, for Italy. We will do “better” than the Democratic Party, he assures, which obtained the appointment of former Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni as Commissioner for the Economy in the outgoing European executive.
In the communications and in the subsequent reply to the debate, in Montecitorio, the prime minister mentions Ursula von der Leyen only to underline how the fight against illegal immigration is also defined as a priority in the letter with which the German is applying for a third mandate. There is very harsh criticism of the ways in which European leaders are conducting the negotiations for the formation of the new EU executive, involving the liberals, but excluding the Conservatives, the group that Meloni presides over, which has become – to the detriment of the liberals, precisely – the “third party in Europe”.
How clear is the declaration of unavailability to get into “mess” with the left. The outcome of the outgoing commission is negative regarding the “ideological” rules of the Green deal and the penalizing measures for farmers and businesses. But the door seems to remain open on what has been done in terms of migration policies, investments in the defense sector and relations with Africa, on the Italian model. Meloni, therefore, raises the stakes and leaves for Brussels with the aim of obtaining the maximum for Italy, also thanks to the personal relationship built with von der Leyen.
From Palazzo Chigi the aim would be to close the negotiation in the summit tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and to give a possible green light to the creation of the new commission only in exchange for a vice-presidency with ‘important’ delegation to Italy (maybe the Pnrr). Meloni’s yes to the summit is not a given but it could turn into a vote in favor of the commission by the Fratelli d’Italia group in the European Parliament. The Prime Minister has been clear on this since the beginning of the year: it would not mean joining the majority that supports the new European executive.
A majority that Meloni defines as “fragile”. “We’ll see during the legislature. Agreeing on top jobs doesn’t mean having a solid majority”, warns the Italian prime minister. Meloni underlines how the “disaffection” of European citizens towards the community institutions has “materialized with the abstention” of a vote which marked the “rejection of the governments of France, Spain and Germany”. The prime minister then asks that in the new commission there be a “specific delegation to de-bureaucratization” and addresses the issue of the relationship with Africa, ensuring that the government is “progressively implementing” the Mattei plan.
The president takes advantage of the speech to the Chambers to also talk about the “inhuman” death of Satnam Sigh, defining The employer’s attitude is “disgusting”. of the dead laborer and sparking a standing ovation from the Chamber (‘Royal, you too, stand up’, he says, urging the two deputy prime ministers Antonio Tajani and Matteo Salvini). “We have to tell ourselves: this is the worst Italy”, Meloni then adds, underlining how “the shame of gangmastering is far from being defeated”.
The rest of the speech is a harsh j’accuse of the methodologies used by EU leaders, who would have built a ‘conventio ad excludendum’ against the Conservatives and the right, rewarded by the vote of June 8 and 9. “There are also those who argue that citizens are not mature enough to make certain decisions and that oligarchy is the only acceptable form of democracy, but I do not share this opinion”, says Meloni. “I fought this surreal principle in Italy, and I intend to fight it in Europe too”.
The EU changes its posture
Europe now has a “difficult task: rethink his priorities, his approach and his posture“, said Meloni. Accompanied by the “need to do less and do better”, continued the prime minister. “Let national states decide what does not need to be centralised”. “All the political forces in recent months have supported the a change in European policies is needed. Nobody showed up at the elections saying that Europe was fine as it was. Everyone agreed on one point, Europe must take a different direction”, warned the Prime Minister. Among European citizens, approval of the European institutions is “around 45%”, continued Meloni. “While disaffection is is plastically materialized with strongly growing abstentionism”, added the Prime Minister, recalling the “lowest ever” Italian voter turnout figure.