Giorgia Meloni’s match in Europe
The Meloni government, the only one not to have emerged with broken bones from the elections, has designed its tactics for Europe. Guiglia 's notebook
The other European match began with a dinner in Brussels last night. While the national football team, winner in office, awaits next Thursday's meeting with Spain, the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, also fresh from victory in the elections for the European Parliament and the presidency of a G7 in Italy which has having reaffirmed the Western strategy alongside Ukraine, try to score goals in the political championship parallel to the sporting one. At stake is the choice of the four leaders of the European Union and the team of commissioners at the center of the informal talks, between one dish and another, of the 27 heads of state and government.
This time Italy plays to participate in decisions and to bring home a result. Our government, which is the only one not to have emerged with broken bones from the European vote, has designed its tactics on the field: the best defense of the national interest will be the attack.
At least this is how the determined Prime Minister and her Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, present themselves at the Brussels meeting: “Italy has the right to the vice-presidency and to a powerful commissioner,” she declared on the eve of the big party.
For the main box of the competition, i.e. the presidency of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen is the super favorite for reconfirmation (as is Roberta Metsola for a second presidency of the Strasbourg Parliament). Ursula has the support, although not solid, of her EPP, which has confirmed itself as the backbone of the EU, and the support of socialists and liberals, thus being able to reconstitute the three groups together, the outgoing majority.
But in the secrecy of the European Parliament ballot box, the snipers made themselves heard already in the last legislature. If those invisible troops now exceeded the threshold considered physiological – a far-fetched hypothesis -, Ursula would fail.
This is why, to avoid surprises, it could have a role, openly requested by Tajani who is the Italian representative in the EPP, the conservative group led by Meloni. Not to shore up a coalition that stands on its own (the socialists, then, see help on the right as smoke and mirrors), but as an insurance policy for the certainty of an encore.
On the other hand, if Europe has moved to the right and even to right-wing radicalism, it will not be easy for the “Ursula majority” to pretend nothing has happened. Also in light of the ongoing maneuvers to bring together all the anti-progressive groups in Europe under one roof, from Marine Le Pen to Meloni, as Matteo Salvini asks, the "bridge" between Marine and Giorgia.
So, many matches and many matches in the competition. Between votes and vetoes, the EPP will be the one to deal the cards.
But of the three large EU countries, Italy, which did not suffer the electoral catastrophe of the governments in France and Germany, also has cards to play.
The challenge for the new Europe has begun.
Published in L'Arena di Verona, Il Giornale di Vicenza, Bresciaoggi and Gazzetta di Mantova
www.federicoguiglia.com
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/la-partita-di-giorgia-meloni-in-europa/ on Sat, 22 Jun 2024 04:13:05 +0000.