After months of negotiations and political tensions, Italy has obtained the “important” position it wanted within the European Commission. Raffaele Fitto He has in fact been appointed Executive Vice-President responsible for cohesion and reforms within the European executive led by Ursula von der Leyen and presented this morning in Strasbourg. Specifically, Fitto will have control over the portfolios relating to cohesion policy, regional development and cities. As von der Leyen explains, the Commission will draw on “its extensive experience to help modernise and strengthen investment policies for cohesion and growth”. In addition to these responsibilities, Fitto will also be tasked with “ensuring that the EU continues to support sustainable reforms and investments that contribute to European growth”, sharing responsibility for overseeing the NRR with the Commissioner for the Economy. The nomination letter that von der Leyen sent to Fitto specifies that the Vice-President will have to help the EU “implement the reforms and investments agreed in the Member States’ recovery and resilience plans by the 2026 spending deadline”. A challenge defined as “significant” and which will require a constant commitment from all Member States, according to von der Leyen. “I would like you to carry out this work with the Commissioner for Economy and Productivity. (Valdis Dombrovskis) and that it focused on the success and full implementation of Next Generation EU,” von der Leyen wrote in the letter.
“This will be part of your work to make European economies and societies more sustainable, more resilient and better prepared for future challenges,” von der Leyen adds. On the other hand, when it comes to cohesion, Fitto’s task “means bringing Europe closer to its citizens and Europeans closer to each other”. Strengthening the EU’s economic, social and territorial cohesion, von der Leyen concludes, “fosters the creation of quality jobs, increases productivity, innovation and competitiveness and is essential to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal, combat inequalities and improve the quality of life of Europeans”. However, the EU budget, which von der Leyen has entrusted to Poland’s Piotr Serafin, will not depend on Fitto.
In any case, the Commission President was keen to stress how much the portfolio destined for Fitto reflects “the importance of Italy”. “First of all, Italy is a very important country and one of our founding members, and this must also be reflected in the choice of the Commissioner. I also looked at the composition of the European Parliament, which has 14 vice-presidents. Two of them come from the ECR”, the group of European Conservatives and Reformists, of which Fratelli d’Italia and therefore Fitto is a member. “So I think that looking at the composition of the European Parliament and deducing from that the composition of the Commission is a smart way to proceed”, von der Leyen explained at the press conference, stressing the optimal maintenance of the balance between the Member States and the political groups.
It is therefore not surprising that the Italian government has welcomed Fitto’s position. The Prime Minister, Giorgia Melonispoke of “an important recognition that confirms the regained central role of our nation within the EU”. “Italy is finally back as a protagonist in Europe. Good luck Raffaele, we are sure that you will fulfil your role very well in the interest of Europe and Italy”, added Meloni on Antonio Tajaniaccording to which the appointment of Fitto’s executive vice-president “is excellent news that confirms the credibility and the important role that Italy plays and will continue to play in Europe.”
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