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On the migrant deal with Albania, she insisted it “will work”.
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
“I intend to step down as President of the European Conservatives. The ECR deserves a full-time leader, and I expect Morawiecki to be among the candidates. Mateusz, this applause confirms our support for you in this challenge,” Meloni said. [EPA-EFE/Andrzej Lange]
Languages: Français
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will step down as president of the EU’s conservative ECR group and back former Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki as her successor.
In her one-hour speech at the party’s annual meeting in Rome on Sunday, Meloni said, “I agreed to extend my mandate when asked, but now that the elections are over, I believe I have fulfilled my responsibilities.”
“I intend to step down as President of the European Conservatives. The ECR deserves a full-time leader, and I expect Morawiecki to be among the candidates. Mateusz, this applause confirms our support for you in this challenge,” she added.
The expected succession has been a topic of discussion for several months, as Euractiv reported on Friday.
On the domestic front, Meloni praised her government’s “political stability,” which she described as “the greatest break from the past in Italian politics.” She expressed confidence that her government would complete its mandate, citing the unity of her majority coalition.
In response to criticism from Democratic Party leader Elly Schlein, who accused her of wasting €800 million on a “vacant prison in Albania meant for deporting individuals and violating their rights,” Meloni reiterated her commitment to the controversial project.
The processing of migrants at the detention centres in Albania has been suspended pending a ruling by the EU Court of Justice, but Meloni has insisted they would go ahead.
“Trust me, these centres will work. If I have to spend every night there until the end of my term, I will. This is about fighting the mafia, and I call on the entire state to join this battle,” she said.
She defended Italy’s agreement with Albania as a model for deterrence, arguing that “disembarking outside EU borders changes everything.”
Meloni also targeted the left, accusing it of trying to block the appointment of Raffaele Fitto, a party ally, as executive vice president of the new European Commission.
“For them, if you’re not left-wing, you can’t hold the position,” she said.
She also criticised former Commission president and former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi, mocking his criticism that “the establishment loves Meloni because she obeys”.
“I want to remind Prodi that some of his key actions, from the privatisation of IRI to how Italy’s entry into the eurozone and China’s entry into the WTO, show that he knows a lot about obedience. We’ve learnt that obedience serves neither the nation nor Europe, and we’ve chosen a diametrically opposed path,” she added.
Milei, a notable guest at the event, presented a political manifesto outlining his fight against the ideas of socialism and the “woke virus” that “still dominates Western politics and institutions.”
He reportedly discussed the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement with Meloni in a private meeting. Milei has been vocal in seeking Meloni’s support for the deal, while Italy remains non-committal.
Meanwhile, Meloni faced criticism from Democratic Party members of the parliamentary commission overseeing RAI. They condemned the state broadcaster for broadcasting her speech live, describing the event as a partisan affair rather than a matter of national importance.
“The premier’s speech was broadcast live from a party event, not an institutional forum,” said members of the parliamentary commission.
“We will investigate whether the airtime granted to Meloni matches that given to leaders of other political parties. If this is acceptable for Meloni, the same standard should apply to others,” they added.
(Alessia Peretti | Euractiv.it)
Languages: Français
Updated: 16-12-2024
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