“Italy’s voice is and will always be stronger in Europe”. Giorgia Meloni underlines this by closing communications to the Senate in view of the European Council. At Palazzo Madama, the premier touches on all the points that will be on the table at the Brussels meeting. “Priority challenges for the EU” including the war in Ukraine, the economy and obviously the migrant dossier. For Meloni, “Europe and the entire West” are called to respond “with vision and timeliness. And Italy today has all the credentials to play a leading role and not a supporting role”. A “first test case” is represented by the immigration emergency which, Meloni points out, “is becoming structural”. The prime minister emphasizes Europe’s southern maritime route but also the eastern one “which is no less complicated to manage, as the Cutro tragedy clearly demonstrates. We cannot wait helpless for the next shipwreck – she says -. Maritime borders of Italy are borders of Europe and Europe is called to defend those borders”. As? Strengthening collaboration with countries of origin and transit, with adequate financial resources such as those used to respond to the 2015 migration crisis through the “very onerous agreement” with Turkey. Here, according to the Prime Minister, who cites the risk of Tunisia’s default, “equal attention and adequate funding” are needed today also because, she reiterates, “before any hypothetical right to migrate, every human being has the right not to be forced to to migrate in search of a better life”. For Meloni, then, even the flag states that finance the NGOs must assume “the responsibilities that the law of the sea attributes to them”.
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In the next European Council, however, Italy will reiterate that “there is no longer a single minute to lose because we no longer want to mourn innocent victims in the Mediterranean”. And “in the face of this urgency, I am sure I have the majority of Italians with me”, explains the prime minister, begging the opposition to “fiercely criticize the government, me, the measures we take” without however “damaging Italy’s negotiating position on international tables”. The reference is to the accusations made for the Cutro massacre. “When we present ourselves before Europe with half a Parliament saying that Italy did not want to save those people, do you realize how we are frustrating the efforts we are making?” Meloni asks, assuring that he has “a perfectly clear conscience ” for what happened: “I hope that the conscience of those who use the deaths of poor people to spread propaganda is also clear. There is no evidence that the Italian government could have done more. I am a mother, so please, let us try to contain the tone of the debate”.
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The debate then turns to Ukraine, with Meloni clearly stating that support for Kiev “will be ensured in every area”, political, humanitarian, civil, military, “and as long as necessary”. Therefore, no hesitation, not even on sending weapons. And on this point the premier takes aim at the M5s: “Telling Italians that if we don’t supply weapons, pensions could be increased or taxes could be cut is a lie”. Not only that, Meloni recalls that the government “has never made a secret of wanting to increase its military expenditure allocations. Freedom has a price”, he adds before explaining that on a diplomatic level the “pressures” on Moscow remain “fundamental” to achieve “a just peace”, “which we must pursue tenaciously”.
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With regard to the economic dossier, the Prime Minister recalls Italy’s no to the regulation on carbon dioxide emissions from cars (“Europe can set goals but it has to tell me how I achieve those goals”) and the revision of the directive for energy efficiency of buildings (“it risks becoming a property tax on Italians”), underlines the importance of flexibility on existing European funds, “Pnrr included”, and points out the issue of the revision of the Pnrr as “decisive for Italy” stability and growth. “The time of austerity is over – she declares – and the process of rebalancing the public budgets of the most indebted states will not have to sacrifice the dimension of economic development”. In short, “Italy wants to go back to being a leading nation in the European context” concludes Meloni addressing another jab at the Movement: “I’ve heard that I would go to Europe to take orders. You will never see me presenting myself in the presence of my counterpart European with the tones with which Giuseppe Conte went to Angela Merkel to tell her that the M5s were young people who were afraid of falling within the consensus, but in the end they would have done what they asked. I’d rather resign than represent such a nation”.