“Although there are still those who, regardless of reality, continue to repeat the mantra of Italy’s alleged international isolation, the facts demonstrate the exact opposite”, said the Prime Minister in her communications to the Chamber in view of the European Council. Meloni recalled the election of Raffaele Fitto in Brussels: “Valid and esteemed politician”. And speaking of the situation in the Middle East: “Italy is ready to speak with the new Syrian leadership”
The next European Council “will be the first of this legislature”, the work “will be more streamlined and concrete”, it is “an approach that I very much agree with”, it is necessary to “focus attention on Europe’s mission”. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says this in her communications in the Chamber before the European Council. “I feel proud to be able to say mission accomplished”, says the Prime Minister, recalling the appointment of Raffaele Fitto in Brussels, “an esteemed and respectable person”. “It is not an honorific title, but a concrete instrument”, adds the Prime Minister. “The appointment of Fitto is adequate for the weight of our nation in Europe, it is a result that confirms the centrality of Italy”, underlines Meloni.
Meloni: “The concrete approach of the EU Council is good”
The Prime Minister opened her speech in the Chamber by stating that she shares the concrete approach of the new EU Council, “the first – she said – presided over by the new President Antonio Costa who expressed to me and the other Heads of State and Government the desire to make the work more streamlined and concrete, avoiding delving into conclusions into detailed issues. It is an approach that is widely shared, today more than ever in the face of new and more complex challenges in which there is a risk of marginalization if not. of irrelevance of Europe there is a need to focus.”
Meloni: “Mission accomplished with Dento”
Giorgia Meloni then spoke about the role of Raffaele Fitto in the EU Commission, an executive vice-presidency which, she said, “is not just an honorific title but a concrete tool that will allow us to supervise and coordinate strategic sectors such as agriculture, fishing, maritime economy, social housing: Italian sensitivity can contribute to a pragmatic approach that goes beyond the ideological and dogmatic one of recent years. Fitto, said the Prime Minister, is “a politician of esteemed value in Italy and Europe” and “we can recognize how the role is adequate to the weight of our nation in Europe, it confirms the centrality of Italy”. His appointment is therefore “also a personal recognition for Raffaele Fitto and for the excellent results he has achieved in these two years as minister of the Italian Republic. If today Italy is in first place in Europe for objectives achieved and financial advancement of the Pnrr This is above all due to the excellent work done by him and his offices as well as the commitment of all the ministers and all the institutional levels of the Italian system as a whole”.
Meloni: “Italy is not isolated”
“Although there are still those who, regardless of reality, continued to repeat the mantra of Italy’s alleged international isolation, the facts demonstrate the exact opposite”, said the Prime Minister, underlining that the government “is central to numerous dynamics”. “The Italian government – he continued – is increasingly indicated by international observers as central to numerous dynamics and it is a positive change which, beyond personal political beliefs, should make every sincere Italian proud”. And speaking again about the situation in Italy, he mentioned all those who leave the country in search of a better working future. We must “bring home too many brain drains, to whom we must give a new rewarding dream in their homeland”.
Italy protagonist of the European dialogue
“Italy is increasingly a protagonist in the new dialogue formats that are emerging in Europe to try to address the numerous strategic dossiers that we are discussing in a pragmatic and concrete way”. Thus the Prime Minister referred to “the meeting on emigration inaugurated on the sidelines of the last European Council in the headquarters of the Italian delegation in Brussels”. “A format – he remarked – promoted by Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands which brings together various nations in which the president of the European Commission also participates to state the progress of the new migration policy of the Union, and think together on innovative solutions”. And he added: “But I am also thinking of the North-South summit on security, which will take place in the next few days in Finland, in which Italy has been invited to participate together with the prime ministers of Greece and Sweden and the EU High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy”.
The war in Ukraine
Space also for the ongoing war in Ukraine. The “50 billion dollar” credit line, explained Giorgia Meloni, is “a loan that will soon be disbursed and will be guaranteed by Russian assets immobilized in Europe, an extremely complex job that has led to an extremely important result, a success of the Italian presidency of the G7”. The Prime Minister pays attention to the situation on the ground, where “the systematic Russian action aimed at targeting Ukrainian infrastructure in view of the winter is of particular concern, guaranteeing the security of the energy infrastructure and the Zaporizhzhia power plant” remains a “fundamental objective”.
Meeting with Zelensky before the EU Council
Giorgia Meloni then anticipated that on the eve of the European Council she will see Ukrainian President Zelensky together with other European leaders and NATO Secretary General Rutte. A meeting that “will allow us to reiterate these principles and reaffirm the common line of action” on Ukraine. “The end of the war and the construction of a just and lasting peace based on the principles of the UN charter remain our objectives because it is in the vital interest of Italy and Europe to maintain a system of rules based on respect for international law” , said the prime minister, reiterating “as I have already said many times in this chamber as a member of the opposition and as head of government” that “there is no convenience for us to live in a world based on the force of arms and oppression”.
Conflicts in the Middle East
Giorgia Meloni then spoke about the situation in Syria. “The fall of the Assad regime is good news, rightly celebrated by the Syrian population after more than a decade of civil war. The rebel forces that have established themselves are heterogeneous, have different backgrounds and potentially conflicting interests. There is obviously concern about the future of the nation. Italy, the only one of the G7 nations to have an open embassy in Damascus, is ready to speak with the new Syrian leadership, obviously in a context of evaluations and actions shared with European partners and international”. The first signs from the new Syrian government, added the Prime Minister, “seem encouraging but maximum prudence is needed: words must be followed by deeds and we will judge the new Syrian authorities on the facts. The decisive element will be the attitude towards ethnic and religious minorities. I think of Christians, who have already paid a very high price, too often the subject of persecution.”
Meloni: “There is no room for ISIS to return to Syria”
“The fight against terrorism is another crucial aspect of this scenario”, added the prime minister speaking of the situation in Syria. “There must be no room for a return of ISIS or for ambiguity towards groups that intend to make Syria a base for new terrorist centers. I intend to talk about this in Brussels with our European partners, also because I am convinced that the European Union has a fundamental role to play in Syria, particularly in the reconstruction of a deeply devastated nation. The Syrians will obviously have a leading role in the reconstruction but they will need international European support particularly with the Arab nations only reflect but also identify better ones tools for action”.
Thanks to the soldiers in Lebanon
And speaking of the ongoing wars, the Prime Minister dedicated a moment to the Italian soldiers engaged in missions. “Allow me to express my heartfelt thanks to the women and men of our armed forces in Lebanon who have remained in their positions with courage and a sense of duty in the service of the nation and of peace”, said Giorgia Meloni, recalling the will of the Italian government to not withdraw the soldiers from the Unifil mission because “we were aware that they would be necessary”. And as regards crisis management, the Prime Minister said she was not willing to give up the role of Civil Protection. “Italy is more than interested in contributing to the debate on the future role of Europe as a crisis manager and starting not so much from legislative proposals that would be premature but from the need to maximize national and European efforts in line with the principle of subsidiarity: Italy is not willing to give up national excellence in civil protection but we can share our experience and our know-how with our partners”.
The role of NATO
“A Europe that claims to be stronger and more autonomous cannot ignore the common commitment to strengthen its defense by finally building an EU pillar of NATO, to be placed alongside the American one with equal weight and equal dignity”. Thus Giorgia Meloni who added: “Our commitment towards the Atlantic Alliance remains the cornerstone of our security but certainly – she added – Europe must aim to have a greater role within it”. And speaking again about the importance of defence: “It is vital to progress rapidly on the path of open strategic autonomy, to seek innovative solutions to guarantee adequate funds for the necessary investments, for example by starting a concrete dialogue on the possibility of issuing European bonds for defense investments, continuing to push for the exclusion of defense investments from the calculation of the deficit/GDP ratio in the Stability Pact”.
Trump e Mercosur
A reference also to the president-elect of the United States Donald Trump who will officially take office in the White House on January 20th. “It is essential – said Meloni – to maintain a pragmatic, constructive and open approach with the new Trump administration, exploiting the areas of potential and fruitful EU-US cooperation and trying to prevent trade disputes that certainly would not do anyone any good”. Then, again on the subject of the tycoon and those who, in the chamber, defined him as an “enemy”: “If we are talking about the risk of a protectionist economic policy it is obvious that it is something we must work on to avoid it. I don’t know whether to present myself as someone calling him an enemy can help this dialogue,” Meloni said.
A comment then regarding the Mercosur agreement. “Without rebalancing, there is no support for the Mercosur agreement. Italy shares the opportunity to continue investing in Latin America, a continent very similar to Italy that we risk abandoning to non-Western global players,” he said Meloni who then recalled the impact of these agreements on the agricultural sector and on farmers who “have often paid the highest price because other countries do not respect the same food standards that we impose on our producers. The agreement must offer concrete guarantees and growth opportunities also for the agricultural world European”. And he concluded: “the agreement is being studied and we will support our beliefs by taking the necessary time to see if our requests will be satisfied”.
The automotive crisis
In the automotive sector, “we ask for the suspension of fines for manufacturing companies because they are already leading to the closure of many factories and, in the medium term, we set ourselves the objective of reopening the chapter of technological neutrality by making technologies usable to reduce pollutants”. The Prime Minister said this in the Chamber, anticipating the proposal which will also be signed by Italy. The causes at the origin of the automotive crisis, he then explained, “are different and among these there is certainly the imposition of a decarbonisation model based solely on electricity which, if confirmed, would risk leading to the collapse of the entire European automotive industry”.
Last modification date December 17, 2024 at 3.41pm
