Giorgia Meloni wants to influence “top jobs” after being excluded from negotiations

EUROPE – She has not said her last word. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni did not hide her dissatisfaction after being excluded from negotiations to nominate candidates for the « top jobs » of the EU following the European elections. So before the European Council of June 27 and 28, the far-right leader is meeting, this Wednesday, June 26, with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, candidate for a second term, to use her influence on these key positions .

Six European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, agreed on Tuesday on the three « top jobs » of the EU: Ursula von der Leyen at the head of the European Commission; the former head of the Portuguese government, the socialist Antonio Costa, for the presidency of the European Council; and the head of the Estonian government, the centrist Kaja Kallas, to take the helm of EU diplomacy.

“Counter-offensive” with Orban

The Italian Prime Minister judged “surreal” to have been ignored while the hard right group that she leads, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), is on the verge of snatching the position of third political force within the European Parliament from the centrists of Renew.

Addressing Italian MPs on Wednesday, the head of government castigated, with a populist tone that is the trademark of the extreme right, “those who claim that citizens are not wise enough to make certain decisions and that oligarchy is, ultimately, the only acceptable form of democracy”. “We are convinced that the people are always right and that any leader must follow the indications that come from the citizens”she continued about the attribution of « top jobs ».

But in this area, the game is not yet completely decided, and the Italian Prime Minister knows it. The leader of Brothers of Italy therefore wants to stand out during a crucial meeting of the European Council on Thursday and Friday, during which the three names will be presented to the heads of state and government for approval. According to information from MondeHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited him in Rome on Monday to prepare with Italy a “counter-offensive” during this summit in Brussels.

Italian blackmail for a “strong commissioner”

A few hours before the meeting of heads of state and government, the Prime Minister’s entourage is still threatening not to support the trio of von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas: “If I have to speak on behalf of the [Frères d’Italie]I must tell you that for the moment it is impossible for us to vote in favor of Ursula von der Leyen or all the others, because we do not know their political program”declared Nicola Procaccini, Brothers of Italy MEP quoted by Politico.

Objective of this pressure stroke: to obtain « au minimum » a vice-presidency of the European Commission. “We want 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”had detailed Meloni’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, to French media.

The support of the Italian leader is all the more crucial since, in the event that Ursula von der Leyen obtains the green light from the European Council, she will have to immediately overcome another, much more delicate obstacle: that of the Parliament’s vote. European.

Flirting Meloni for the presidency of the European Commission

The President of the European Commission must indeed obtain the approval of an absolute majority of 361 MEPs (out of 720) during the plenary session scheduled for July 16 to 19. Except that the coalition of the EPP, socialists and liberals risks being too small to obtain these 361 votes required, underlines Politico.

Indeed, certain EPP deputies are dissociating themselves, finding it “too green” since she determinedly supports the European Green Deal, recalls Public Senate. “There is a real risk, around 30%, that it will not be confirmed due to possible defections” at the time of the vote, estimated the Eurasia Group in a note at the beginning of June, cited by AFP. Especially since in 2019, Ursula von der Leyen was narrowly elected by this same coalition, with only 9 votes ahead.

To grab the necessary votes, Ursula von der Leyen seems determined to flirt with the far right. Hence her meeting this Wednesday with Giorgia Meloni, where the two women will also discuss the future majority of the EU, reports the Italian press agency Ansa.

These negotiations are important because, if the appointment of Ursula von der Leyen is not approved, the “ Rest of top job puzzle could be at risk »analyzes a diplomat with Politico. Indeed, the defection of the current president would call into question all the balances – gender, political orientation, typology of countries, etc. – of the trio of von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas. Giorgia Meloni therefore holds the last card to play, deciding whether the election of Ursula von der Leyen must be at the cost of the head of one of the two other designated leaders.

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