After the trip to the European Council of 15 December, which sanctioned the debut of the new government in a summit with EU partners – Giorgia Meloni went to Brussels on that occasion for her first visit abroad as president of the Council – the premier will soon return to meet the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The face-to-face will take place on Monday 9 January, at Palazzo Chigi. Meloni will receive Von der Leyen around lunchtime, after the president of the Commission will have participated in the launch of the book “Wisdom and Audacity”, a collection of speeches by former EU Parliament president David Sassoli.
Once the Budget law has been brought home, the issue of migrants will inevitably be on the table, with the provision with which the executive wanted to put a squeeze on NGOs, and, at the same time, the messages from Europe. It is not up to the European Union to analyze “the content of the decree” but regardless of what Italy is doing”, underlined the spokeswoman for the EU Commission, Anitta Hipper in recent days, “the member countries must respect international law and the law of the sea: saving lives at sea is a moral and legal obligation”. And this is the climate that will surround the meeting between Meloni and von der Leyen.
The migrant dossier and the game to change the flow management rules
On the issue of how to manage the migratory drive, a tough clash took place on NGO ships with France which however led – a success in the reading of Rome – to include the issue of immigration among those on the agenda of the extraordinary EU Council scheduled for February 9 and 10. The summit on Monday 9 will therefore be yet another opportunity for discussion on a politically strategic dossier, which has returned to the debate after the victory of the centre-right in the elections of 25 September.
The Meloni line and the Sweden factor
According to Meloni, the external borders of the EU must be defended, the landings must be stopped. The premier will explain to the president of the EU Commission the ratio of the decree just passed with the squeeze on NGOs. As regards the adoption of new rules that are more functional to the needs of the countries of first arrival, including Italy, from January and for the next six months the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union is Sweden, a country which does not welcome the adoption of a structure that guarantees greater sharing in the management of flows.