Negotiate with Europe, but without accepting downward commitments. Which means not returning to the old Stability Pact, which would be “deadly” for Italy, nor opening tenders indiscriminately for our beach establishments. Giorgia Meloni, at the end of two days in Zagreb, in which she first discussed the main European issues at a “restricted” dinner with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and the leaders of Poland and Malta and again in a bilateral meeting with Plenkovic, he returns to clarify his opinion on the main issues relating to the EU. Regarding the Stability Pact, she explains, “a final rush is necessary”, but Italy will certainly not vote for solutions “that are not sustainable, because that would be madness”.
However, on the migrants front, the agreement with Albania is “innovative and smart” and is “watched with interest” also by other European partners. With regard to seaside resorts, he clarifies, “the warning letter” from Brussels “does not prevent negotiations”. With a view to the end of the year, he also explains, when the last extension of the suspension of the Stability Pact will end, and the new rules that will have to be adopted, «I think a final rush is needed, the topic is fundamental to the strategic agenda European. We are making transitions, in environmental, digital and defense issues, but obviously resources are needed and this is the work that Italy is doing. Progress is being made because we realize that returning to the old parameters would be disastrous, but the steps are still insufficient.” However, it is a “work in progress” but, underlines Meloni, “if I have to commit to respecting an agreement that I know that I am not capable of respecting, I will have to ask myself the problem.” “Because – he adds – I will not be able to respect a pact that I did not vote for. But I don’t think we will get there, I believe that everyone realizes that the positions that Italy pursues are more than which are sensible for many countries. We need to see in these changing alliances what things will be like in the end. We look for a solution that is sustainable, because it would be crazy for us to say that we are fine with a solution that is not sustainable.” The Prime Minister takes advantage of his first international trip since its signing, to also defend the agreement with Albania on migrants, which is «innovative, intelligent and was received with great interest by the other European partners, and could be an example to replicate.” Of course , he adds, “what we have presented is an agreement between two governments, which needs justification. These are all rules that we are developing and that we will discuss with Parliament.” And “I regret – he comments – that someone who tries to help Italy is treated as a pariah by some Italians, because obviously someone doesn’t believe that it is not leftist to give Italy a hand”. . Still on the topic of migrants, he adds, with Plenkovic “we agree on the fact that we are faced with an unprecedented migration crisis and also on the fact that it can be resolved by addressing the external dimension, working in a different cooperation with African countries”.
Finally, the Prime Minister is also confident in the issue of seaside resorts because, she explains, «there is important and interesting news: the closure of the technical table that was supposed to do something that curiously had not been done until today, which is, mapping, to understand whether or not there is a scarcity of resources, a condition for the application or non-application of the Bolkenstein directive. Technically the table says that there is no shortage of the resource, today we need to bring this news and start new negotiations with the Commission”. Negotiations that, he guarantees, are not impeded by the warning letter from Brussels: «The Commission also said that the fact of moving forward with the warning letter does not impede negotiations».
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.
