Giorgia Meloni and Alksej Navalny
Meloni cannot break with Ursula and the EPP but neither can he give a right-wing motorway to Salvini
Giorgia Meloni’s plans for the period after the European elections on 8-9 June are becoming considerably more complicated. The cause is the death of Vladimir Putin’s opponent Alexsei Navalny. The Prime Minister and the Brothers of Italy immediately condemned Vladimir Putin, openly accusing him without ifs or buts, however this clear and clear stance seriously risks not being enough. Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party, was very harsh: “In the EPP we are Christian democrats and we will not let extremists destroy our Europe. And I mean the Polish Pis, Orban, the AfD and Le Pen. All those who question Europe in its essence. Which propagate nationalism and selfishness – he concludes -. Anyone who wants to talk to us must be pro-Ukrainian, pro-European and pro-rule of law. For the EPP, these are the three fundamental principles that make the formation of any alliance with the AfD, Le Pen, the Polish Pis or Orban unthinkable.”
Words that leave an unbridgeable gap. That Weber further isolate the League of Matteo Salvini, even without mentioning it, is nothing new. The closure to the German far right of AfD and to Marine Le Pen’s French nationalists is only confirmation of the EPP’s position. But Weber added to the list the Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, who until the end tried to block new aid to Ukraine and who is the only European country to maintain relations with the Tsar of the Kremlin, and above all the Polish Pis, i.e. Meloni’s main allied party in the European Conservatives of ECR which Orban also announced he wanted to join after the European elections in June.
Meloni has been working for months to accredit herself as a reliable interlocutor of the EPP and is ready to vote for Ursula von der Leyen’s encore, entering the majority that will support the new European Commission. But Weber’s insult to two key allies of the prime minister in ECR, following Navalny’s death, puts the Prime Minister with her back to the wall. What to do at this point? Splitting ECR, of which Meloni is president, thus risking the failure of the European project or isolating oneself in Europe? The second option is not feasible for the leader of Brothers of Italy. There are too many dossiers open in Brussels and a link with the new EU majority is essential to avoid having problems on issues such as migrants, banking union, reform of the Stability Pact and PNRR. But at the same time if Melons splits ECR by abandoning the Polish Pis and Orban risks moving too much to the center giving space to the League, in difficulty in the polls, which could take advantage of it given the strength of The pen in France it is clearly the first party ahead of President Emmanuel Macron.
Here or there. Weber was clear. And now Meloni must choose. Being with the Europe of the EPP and of Ursula and Metsola or with his allies, including the Spanish of Vox led by Abascal which Weber does not mention but who certainly belong, as they are nostalgic for Francoism, to those extremists to be isolated. In short, the sudden death of the number one opponent of Putindespite Meloni’s clear stance – unequivocal – complicates, if not ruins, his European plans.