Georgia Meloni: First crash test with the European institutions

For the first time after taking office, the far-right prime minister of Italy Georgia Meloni will meet today in Brussels with the heads of the EU institutions. The energy crisis is expected to dominate the meeting.

The journey of the 45-year-old Meloni, who has vowed to defend above all the interests of Italy, is closely watched, as there are concerns that disagreements may arise between her government and European institutions.

Meloni will meet with the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyenthe president of the European Council Charles Michel and the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metzola.

Italy’s first female prime minister, who heads the country’s most right-wing government since World War II, is heading to Brussels in no mood for confrontation, according to political analyst Lorenzo Contonio. “Meloni is a realist and wants to pass the image of a moderate leader.”

The Italian prime minister, head of the eurozone’s third-largest economy, is expected to focus on the need to take immediate action to reduce prices energya battle started by her predecessor Mario Draghi.

Estimates for the trip

“Discussions will focus on energy (…) the most immediate problem as winter approaches,” underlined Contonio, according to whom Meloni will try to show that there is continuity in Italy’s governance and he will ask for solutions “at the European level”, following Draghi’s line.

This trip is not expected to have “no real consequence for the immediate future“, commented Il Messaggero newspaper today, adding that it is to allow Meloni to assess “the prospects” of a European aid to the country.

European leaders, for their part, hope that they will seize the opportunity “to better understand Meloni’s intentions“, noted Sébastien Maillard, director of the Jacques Delors Institute, reports APE-BPE, citing AFP and DPA.

“Beyond the reassuring messages” about Rome’s commitment to the West and NATO, but also the distances it took from fascism, Meloni “ultimately was quite vague about what she wants to do,” he added.

European leaders should appear prudent to avoid pushing the Italian prime minister into the camp of the EU’s two nationalist black sheep: Poland and Hungary. However, Magyar assessed that “in economic matters (Meloni) has no interest in opening a front with Brussels”.

Nevertheless it will be difficult for Brussels to avoid at some point a confrontation with Italy over immigrationthe issue on which the extreme right bases its rhetoric, as the country is a gateway for immigrants to Europe.