Allocation of top EU posts
Meloni fumes about “fireside chat”
26.06.2024, 20:44
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The most important posts at EU level have already been filled before the upcoming summit of heads of state and government. Much to the chagrin of Giorgia Meloni. The Italian Prime Minister has sharply criticised the selection process and has made fundamental criticisms.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has criticized the agreement reached by the heads of state and government of the major European party families on the allocation of top EU jobs. The agreement ignored the successes of the right-wing parties in the European elections, said the right-wing politician in the Chamber of Deputies in Rome. An indisputable result of the election in early June was the rejection of the policies of government parties in some countries, which also dictated the policies of the EU.
Shortly before a crucial EU summit on Thursday and Friday, six heads of state and government from the conservative EPP, the Social Democrats and the Liberals agreed on a new EU personnel package. This provides for the CDU politician Ursula von der Leyen to be given a second term as President of the EU Commission. The liberal Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is to become the new EU foreign policy chief and the former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa is to become President of the EU Council.
Meloni described the agreement as a “fireside chat” between a small group of politicians. “If we want to do Europe and its credibility a good service, we must show that we have understood the mistakes of the past and take into account the wishes of citizens who are demanding a more concrete, less ideological Europe.” The right-wing head of government also criticized the fact that the EU is too permeated by ideological decisions. This has undermined citizens’ trust. “The perception is that of a Union that intervenes too much in aspects of daily life.”
Meloni also described the EU as a bureaucratic giant that sets up a large number of untenable rules. The EU Commission must think about a consistent mandate for debureaucratization that would clear the bureaucratic thicket. This could be a signal of change. The method that Italy advocates under her aegis should be applied in Europe: “Don’t disturb those who want to do something,” said Meloni. Before her time as Prime Minister, Meloni regularly criticized the EU very sharply. Since she has been in government and regularly in Brussels, she has been more moderate.