The European Union, reluctant to face the coming to power of the far right in Italy, said it was ready to “cooperate” with the eurosceptic government of Giorgia Meloni, who was sworn in on Saturday and is due to take office on Sunday.
“Congratulations to Giorgia Meloni on her appointment as Prime Minister, the first woman to hold this post,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted. “I look forward to constructive cooperation […] “.
She rejoiced on Twitter to have had “good first phone call” with the Italian leader, adding: “We will work together to meet the critical challenges of the moment, from Ukraine to energy”.
Ditto from the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola. Ms Meloni thanked European leaders, saying she was “ready and eager to work together”.
In the evening, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated Giorgia Meloni in Italian. “Congratulazioni@GiorgiaMeloni. I look forward to continuing to work closely together with Italy, in the EU, NATO and the G7,” he tweeted.
The other two major European capitals, Paris and Madrid, remained silent.
Before the German leader, the very conservative Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a pet peeve of Brussels, had been one of the only European leaders to congratulate Ms. Meloni and hail “a great day for the European right”.
“Unprecedented challenges await us, which is why we need determined and courageous leadership,” added his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki.
The European far right was celebrating: “Everywhere in Europe, patriots are coming to power and with them, this Europe of nations that we are calling for”, rejoiced in France, the former candidate for the President, Marine Le Pen.
” At work “
It was at the Roman Quirinal Palace that Ms. Meloni and her 24 ministers – including only 6 women – “swore to respect the Constitution and the laws” before President Sergio Mattarella.
“Now to work,” Ms. Meloni then launched in a tweet accompanied by the official government photo.
The 45-year-old Roman, who won a historic victory in the September 25 legislative elections, managed to give respectability to her post-fascist party Fratelli d’Italia to come to power exactly a century after Mussolini, of whom she was an admirer. .
The transfer of power between Mario Draghi and Giorgia Meloni is scheduled for Sunday morning, before a first council of ministers.
Many challenges await, mainly economic, starting with inflation and the debt whose ratio is the highest in the euro zone after Greece.
She has with her coalition partners, the populist leader of the Antimigrant League Matteo Salvini and the declining leader of Forza Italia Silvio Berlusconi, an absolute majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
The composition of the new government reflects the desire to reassure Rome’s partners, worried about the coming to power in Italy, the founding country of Europe, of the most right-wing and eurosceptic head of government since 1946.
Berlusconi and Putin
Before the elections, Ms. von der Leyen had caused an outcry in Italy by referring to “the instruments” available to Brussels to sanction possible attacks on the democratic principles of the EU in the event of a victory for the far right.
The appointment to Foreign Affairs, with the title of Deputy Prime Minister, of the former President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, a member of Forza Italia, and that of Giancarlo Giorgetti, a representative of the moderate wing of the League, already Minister in the outgoing government of Mario Draghi, to the Economy, must serve to reassure Brussels.
However, Ms. Meloni’s task promises to be difficult, especially since her coalition is already showing cracks.
MM. Salvini and Berlusconi are reluctant to accept the authority of Giorgia Meloni, whose party won 26% of the vote in the elections, against 8% for Forza Italia and 9% for the League.
An Atlanticist herself and in favor of support for Ukraine against Russia, Ms Meloni had to face this week the polemical remarks of Mr Berlusconi, who claimed to have “reconnected” with Vladimir Putin and blamed kyiv for the war.
Ms. Meloni corrected the situation by asserting that Italy is “fully part and with its head held high” of Europe and NATO.
A message well received in Washington, kyiv and NATO, whose Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed his “congratulations” to Ms. Meloni. US President Joe Biden said on Saturday he was “looking forward” to working with her “to continue our support for Ukraine and to hold Russia accountable for its aggression”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Twitter “looking forward to continuing the fruitful cooperation”. ” You are not alone ! replied Ms. Meloni: “Italy will always be at the side of the courageous Ukrainian people who are fighting for their freedom and a legitimate peace”.