Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni vowed to maintain Italy EU Cooperation. Her party voted against a second term for Ursula von der Leyen. #ItalyEUCooperation
Von der Leyen won the European Parliament’s backing to stay as head of the EU executive. However, Italy EU Cooperation faced hurdles from the eurozone’s third-largest economy.
In a video statement from a summit of European leaders in England, Meloni said MEPs from her far-right Brothers of Italy party had opposed von der Leyen’s reappointment on issues of “method and merit”.
“This obviously will not compromise the cooperation which the Italian government and the European Commission have already demonstrated their ability to carry out on many subjects, for example on migration,” she said.
She offered von der Leyen “all the best in her work” — and said Rome still expected a weighty role when the EU chief chooses her next cabinet of commissioners. #ItalyEUCooperation
“I have no reason to believe that our choice could in any way compromise Italy’s role in the European Commission,” Meloni said.
Carlo Fidanza, head of the party’s delegation in the European Parliament, said von der Leyen’s search for support on the left, notably her endorsement by the Greens, “made our support impossible”.
He said her programme did not reflect “the strong message of change” from European elections last month, when support for the far-right surged — including for Brothers of Italy.
However, Meloni’s rivals criticised the decision, with the main opposition centre-left Democratic Party accusing the premier of being “isolated in Europe”.
Since taking office in October 2022, Meloni has sought to reassure EU allies wary of her eurosceptic, radical roots with a pragmatic approach, notably by strongly supporting Ukraine in its defence against Russia.
