In a speech to MPs, the new head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, forcefully reaffirmed Italy’s membership of the European Union (EU) on Tuesday 25 October. Italy makes “fully part of Europe and the Western world”said the leader of the post-fascist Eurosceptic party Fratelli d’Italia.
The far-right leader tried to allay concern over her party’s historic victory in September. She assured that the Italian approach was not to “to slow down and sabotage European integration”but to make the community machine work better, in his speech on general policy before the Chamber of Deputies, who must vote in the evening for confidence in his government.
“Italy will respect the rules” Europeans, also assured Mme Meloni, even if Rome also wants “to help change those that are not working”. The EU is “a common house to face the challenges that member states can hardly face alone”she said, judging that the EU had not done enough in this area in the past.
“A reliable NATO partner”
Giorgia Meloni, who has pro-Russian partners in her coalition, including League chief Matteo Salvini and Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi, has also promised that Italy will remain “a reliable NATO partner [Organisation du traité de l’Atlantique Nord] in support of Ukraine which opposes Russian aggression”.
“Caving in to Putin’s energy blackmail wouldn’t solve the problem, it would make it worse, paving the way for new claims and blackmails and future increases [du prix] energy even greater than those we have experienced in recent months”said the new Italian leader.
Mme Meloni also wanted to be reassuring about her party line, denying any ” sympathy “ Where “proximity to anti-democratic regimes”. “For no regime, including fascism”, she insisted.
Regarding the subject of immigration, the new Prime Minister assured on Tuesday that her government intended “stop illegal departures” from Africa to the peninsula and to break human trafficking” in Mediterranean.
First woman to lead the country
The speech of M.me Meloni, the first female head of government in Italian history who took office on Sunday, will be followed by a vote of confidence on Tuesday evening in the Chamber of Deputies and Wednesday in the Senate.
The successor to Mario Draghi, to whom she also paid tribute in her speech, is sure to win confidence, since her coalition has an absolute majority in both chambers.
While inflation increased by 8.9% year on year in September, it began to ” priority “ at “strengthen support measures for households and businesses, both for energy bills and for fuel”. “A financial commitment that will drain a large part of the available resources”she admitted.