Giorgia Meloni finally abstained from voting on the reappointment of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the Commission on Thursday evening, June 27, during a meeting of European heads of state and government in Brussels. The day before, Rome was still assuring that the Italian Prime Minister had not decided on her position, while she gave a very critical speech against the European Union (EU) before the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday.
Giorgia Meloni had denounced the “invading bureaucratic giant” to “ideological choices” and trends “autocratic and technocratic” what the Union would be. These words recall the Eurosceptic positions she was accustomed to when she was in opposition. They contrast with the polite attitude that the Italian has adopted towards the Community institutions since the beginning of her mandate, in October 2022.
Giorgia Meloni did not appreciate being left out of the discussions on “top jobs”, at the end of which the Twenty-Seven appointed, on Thursday, the Christian Democrat Ursula von der Leyen as President of the Commission, the Socialist Antonio Costa as President of the European Council and the Liberal Kaja Kallas as Head of European Diplomacy.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The Twenty-Seven EU States agree on the reappointment of Ursula von der Leyen to the Commission, despite the abstention of Giorgia Meloni
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In fact, the deal was concluded between the heads of state and government of the European People’s Party (EPP), the Social Democrats (S&D) and the Renew Liberals, that is, the three political groups that have enough MEPs to form a majority in the European Parliament and adopt the Commission’s legislative projects.
The EPP raises the stakes
In this context, they therefore distributed the highest functions within the Community institutions. “There is a political reality following the European elections which is that of the renewal of the EPP, S&D and Renew coalition, to which [Fratelli d’Italia, le parti post-fasciste de Giorgia Meloni] does not belong “explains the Elysée.
The debate was supposed to be resolved on June 17, when the European heads of state and government met in Brussels for a first meeting devoted to the subject, it was thought in Paris, Berlin or The Hague. The decision had to be validated during the dinner of the Twenty-Seven, which allowed everyone to express themselves and gave a more collective image of the choices about to be made. “That’s where we had to deal with Meloni, put her back in the game”confides a European diplomat.
Except that the EPP decided, at the last moment, to raise the stakes, asking for more than the presidency of the Commission. As a result, while Charles Michel, the President of the Council, Giorgia Meloni, Viktor Orban and a few others waited at the table for their guests, for more than two long hours, the leaders of the EPP, S&D and Renew returned to negotiations. The president of the Italian council, who wants to show her fellow citizens that she has influence at the European negotiating table, experienced this episode as a snub and made it known the same evening.
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