The Democratic Party no longer has a unified position on Ukraine. The party split in the European Parliament over a vote on increasing arms production in support of Kiev. Eight MEPs voted in favour, six abstained, one voted against and one, Giuliano Pisapia, was absent. Elly Schlein begins to no longer hold the party together. Three days ago, in fact, he held a videoconference meeting with the Dem group in Brussels precisely to define a clear and unequivocal line of conduct. The mission failed, as yesterday’s poll showed. The measure, which provides for increased production of ammunition and missiles in support of Ukraine, called ASAP (Law to support the production of ammunition), was approved with 446 votes in favor, 67 against and 112 abstentions. The definitive green light could come with a plenary meeting in Strasbourg in July.
In detail, the head of delegation Brando Benifei, Mercedes Bresso, Beatrice Covassi, Paolo De Castro, Elisabetta Gualmini, Pina Picierno, Daniela Rondinelli and Irene Tinagli voted in favour. The abstainers are Pietro Bartolo, Camilla Laureti, Alessandra Moretti, Franco Roberti, Patrizia Toia and Achille Variati. Against Massimiliano Smeriglio, who claims his position: “The area of dissent that has been expressed within the ranks of the Democratic Party is a good one.” The Dem delegation, however, made it known that Moretti and Toia had actually voted in favour, and that it was only due to a “technical error” in the final vote that abstention was recorded. The two deputies, therefore, asked for correction.
In the other Italian delegations, the centre-right voted solidly in favour, while the 5 Stelle Movement and the Greens voted against. It must be emphasized that the PD delegation to the European Parliament is a far cry from reflecting the majority that emerged from the party congress following Schlein’s primary victory. In fact, only MEP Laureti supported the secretary in the challenge that placed her against Stefano Bonaccini. Sources in Brussels also reported that Schlein has given no indication of his votes in the European Parliament. A matter of “institutional grace” and “respect for the autonomy” of groups. To complicate matters, there is also another detail. At the three-day meeting between MEPs and the secretary, it was decided to present an amendment to exclude the possibility of using Pnrr resources to finance increased weapons production. Amendment that was voted down.
The other center-left parties point to chaos in Schlein’s party. MEPs Nicola Danti (Italia Viva), vice-president of the Renew Europe group, and Giosi Ferrandino (Azione) attack: “Confusion wins in the Democratic Party. On the other hand, it is natural when the same secretary has been advised to abstain until the last moment and a member of the secretariat also abstains». The reference is to Camilla Laureti. The statement by Riccardo Magi, secretary of +Europe, also remains: “It is disheartening to see how the Democratic Party is receiving the populist propaganda of the M5S”.
And yet, despite the party not expressing itself in any particular order on an issue as sensitive as the war in Ukraine, someone in the Democratic Party is trying to get the message across that everything is normal. For the vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber, Lia Quartapelle, “as after all the vote counts in democracy, the majority of the PD MEPs voted for Asap and confirmed the PD’s support for Ukraine and finally a European defense. A heartfelt thank you to them for taking responsibility and keeping the bar straight.”
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
