Tajani’s Forza Italia divided during Von der Leyen visit

6 months ago 30

European Commission Ursula von der Leyen did not attend Forza Italia’s EU election campaign kick-off on Monday (13 May) while visiting Rome, as key party figures disagreed about backing her.

Ahead of June’s EU elections, the Commission President and the European People’s Party (EPP) lead candidate Ursula von der Leyen is touring member states to rally support for EPP national members and strengthen relationships with national centre-right leaders. The latest visits were to Split and Rome.

While in Croatia, she was warmly welcomed to the centre-right HDZ campaign kick-off rally and various activities involving Prime Minister Andrej Plenkjovic. However, Forza Italia did not include her in their electoral campaign launch on Monday (13 May).

The visit followed an internal spat within Forza Italia over the Commission president.

Licia Ronzulli, a powerful figure within Forza Italia that contended the leadership of Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, expressed on Sunday that “Ursula Von der Leyen is now a crippled horse.”

“In the long run, it [her presidency] turned out to be weak; it showed shortness of breath, with a Commission tugged by ideological extremist impulses that led to serious measures for our citizens and businesses,” she added.

Forza Italia’s leader, Antonio Tajani, is a strong ally of Von der Leyen, with whom she attended several closed-door events throughout Monday afternoon.

She was expected to visit a famous university to debate with students but ultimately cancelled as Tajani scheduled a last-minute meeting with representatives from the agricultural industry lobby.

Before that event, she met with the youth branch of Forza Italia for an informal exchange at the Fondazione De Gasperi, the party’s think tank.

“President Tajani has a lot of faith in you, and we do the same (…) your leadership has always been strong (…). So we are very proud, you are a true inspiration for all of us,” the young group told von der Leyen.

Despite Forza Italia’s closed-door programme, she used the chance to reach new audiences by arranging an interview with an influencer and appearing on a popular TV show on Sunday night.

‘Che tempo che fa’ is a well-known talk show with a broad audience. When asked about her children’s names, she discussed her personal life and laid out her policy priorities.

Von der Leyen travels next to Copenhagen on Tuesday, followed by a visit to a cross-border area in France, Germany, and Luxembourg on Friday.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]