Italy’s M5S says Meloni is ‘isolated’ in Brussels, snubbed by von der Leyen

4 months ago 23

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government is more isolated than ever at the EU level, an EU lawmaker from Italy’s Five Star Movement (M5S) party told Euractiv.

“The parties that make up Meloni’s government majority are increasingly isolated in Europe,” M5S MEP Valentina Palmisano (The Left) told Euractiv, adding that her ECR group “is under scrutiny in Europe.”

“Not only is Ursula von der Leyen snubbing them, but she has also stated she will not negotiate their programme,” Palmisano added.

Italy’s governing coalition consists of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (ECR), Forza Italia (EPP) and far-right Matteo Salvini’s Lega (Patriots for Europe).

Between Salvini’s Lega, which is facing a “cordon sanitaire” as part of the Patriots for Europe group and Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, which “was stripped of the Presidency of the Justice Committee that it was entitled to according to the D’Hondt method”, things are not looking so good for Italy’s government.

Euractiv reported earlier this week that Meloni’s ECR group asked to chair the committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), but EU’s progressive groups (S&D, Renew, Greens, EU Left and part of the EPP) vowed to do “the utmost” to prevent them from getting it.

“This shows that Europe does not trust the Meloni government, and rightly so. It would have been absurd to assign the parliamentary committee responsible for fighting corruption to those who vote in Italy to remove the crime of abuse of office with the Nordio bill,” she added.

The Nordio law, approved on Wednesday, introduces significant changes to the Italian judicial system.

It abolishes the offence of abuse of office, modifies the offence of unlawful influence peddling, and restricts journalists’ publication of wiretaps.

Von der Leyen herself stressed during a meeting with Renew on Wednesday that “there will be no structural cooperation with the ECR group”, sources present at the meeting confirmed.

Asked by Euractiv, Meloni’s team refused to comment.

In her meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday with the S&D and Renew, the outgoing Commission President presented her programme, listened to their demands and sought an agreement to secure their support for the vote on 18 July.

For both groups, support is conditional on no alliance with the hard-right and far-right parties.

“I do think that it is also very clear from the order of the visits von der Leyen held this week to the four political groups […] I think already that order tells you something about what her intention is”, co-president of the Greens/EFA group Bas Eickhout said on Wednesday, as von der Leyen will see the ECR last next week.

InsteadVonyen is now looking for the support of the EU Greens, who have 53 seats. Melon, instead of ECR and Meloni’s Brothers of Italyi’s centre-right coalition partner Antonio Tajani (EPP) until ,recently was ba,cking a collaboration with ECR instead, excluding the Greens.

Meloni, who has never explicitly stated whether she would support a second term for von der Leyen in the EU Parliament vote, has nonetheless reiterated on several occasions that Italy must be recognised in a role “that rightfully belongs to us without begging for it”.

Von der Leyen is expected to meet the ECR on 16 July, the day of the first parliamentary votes, but it is understood that this will be an information meeting on plans for the next legislature, with no intention of forging any agreements.

(Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)