Italy will go to Brussels with “its back straight, the credibility it managed to gain this year”, in the face of “the most skeptics”. Then, turning her gaze to the opposition benches and to the gallery where cameramen and reporters are gathered, Giorgia Meloni says: «The majority is united, get over it». The Prime Minister concludes his communications in the Senate Chamber with a view to the European Council in Brussels scheduled for today and tomorrow. The ministers rise from their seats and join in the applause initiated by the majority benches. It’s more than simply approving political speech. It is a symbolic embrace to archive the last few days marked by the consequences of the riots in Striscia. The topics addressed by the head of government in 42 minutes of speech are different: the conflict in the Middle East, Ukraine, the migratory emergency and the risk of terrorism, green policies at European level and the reform of the Stability Pact System. Aspects that he addresses again in the afternoon in the Chamber when participating in the debate in the Chamber, where the tone rises when the Prime Minister responds with a decisive tone to the opposition.
SUPPORT ISRAEL – Meloni can only start from here: «There can be no ambiguity in condemning Hamas in the strongest terms and the crimes for which it is responsible, there can be no distinction in condemning all forms of anti-Semitism». Words that may seem obvious, but are not. The demonstration comes from Turkey, where almost simultaneously Erdogan defines Hamas militiamen as “liberators”. Meloni invites everyone not to fall into the “clash of civilizations trap”, and urges them to be “aware of the sides on the ground”, because they cannot be considered equal, especially if one of the two “decapitates newborns”.
UKRAINE – The Prime Minister warns: «We must not make the mistake of weakening our support for the Ukrainian cause», at this stage when the eyes of the world are focused, for obvious reasons, on Israel and Gaza.
RISK OF JIHAD – Meloni is aware of how “disturbing” it is to see the reappearance of “lone wolves”. Then he confirms what has been repeated in recent days by the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi. «We have to deal with the risks linked to the direct infiltration of jihadists from the Middle East», states the head of government, confirming the particular attention to migration from the East: «The most recent reports from our Services confirmed that precisely from the Balkan route and greater risks may arise to us from these operational methods of infiltration.”
ILLEGAL MIGRATION – Today and tomorrow, in Brussels, Meloni will focus on the following points: “Implementation of the agreement with Tunisia, full implementation of the Commission’s Ten-Point Plan, launch of a European naval mission.”
STABILITY PACT – The government’s approach to European fiscal rules is simple: “It must be a growth and stability pact”, where the word “growth” comes before “stability”.
CONFLICT WITH COUNTING – In the Chamber, the opposition attacks the prime minister for the VAT on sanitary towels, which ranges from 5 to 10%. Instrumental controversy, according to Meloni, who explains: «This cut simply didn’t work». He then addresses Giuseppe Conte, recalling a conversation that the then Prime Minister had with Angela Merkel in Davos: «I tell you what was the lowest point of credibility of an Italian government abroad and I tell you that as long as I govern you don’t see me, never chase a colleague of mine to the bar to reassure him that the members of my majority are joking, that they have to say something to their audience, but that in the end what the others want will be done. You will never see me represent Italy in this way, whatever the cost.” Shouts of dissent rise from the M5S benches, broken again by Meloni’s words: «I see you are nervous. I have been governing for a year, I will govern for another 4 years and at the end I will ask Italians what they think because that is how democracy works.”
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.
