Italy is demanding ‘at least’ a vice-presidency of the European Commission, its Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday in Luxembourg. This a few days before a new European summit to decide on key positions in the EU.
‘I believe that Italy cannot not have a position of vice-president of the Commission and not have a commissioner with an important portfolio, this is the minimum to which our country can aspire,’ declared Mr Tajani in front of the press, upon his arrival at a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-Seven.
‘We want to have a vice-presidency, a strong commissioner to have a good European policy in favor of industry and agriculture, of course committed to climate change, but not in a fundamentalist way,’ he said. already explained this weekend to French media.
First discussion without agreement
A first discussion on key positions within the European Union took place between the leaders of the 27 on June 17 in Brussels. No agreement had been found, and Italy had expressed its annoyance after being kept away from these negotiations, despite the good result obtained by the far right after the European elections of June 9.
The head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni is also the head of the Fratelli d’Italia party, the main component of the Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which brings together part of the Eurosceptic far right in the European Parliament.
‘Surreal’ situation
The ECR group is on the verge of stealing the position of third political force within the Strasbourg Parliament from the centrists of Renew Europe.
However, the negotiations at last Monday’s summit took place exclusively between the leaders of the EPP (right), the first force represented in the European Parliament, the social democrats of S&D, the second largest group in Strasbourg and the representatives of Renw (centrists , liberals).
A ‘surreal’ situation was then denounced by Ms Meloni, recalling the surge of the extreme right after June 9.
/ATS
