At the end of the day, on the terrace of a famous Roman hotel, with a Villa Borghese bathed in summer light behind her, a relaxed and smiling Ursula von der Leyen greets the reporters. Yet her trip to the capital was the most difficult stage of her tour for the European Championships. The president of the EU Commission, since she landed in Rome on Sunday evening to meet FI and support her in the start of the electoral campaign, has had to deal with an agenda that remained uncertain until the end and with a series of restricted meetings far from the spotlight, certainly not in line with what has happened so far in other European countries. Rome is a key city in von der Leyen’s bid for an encore at Palazzo Berlaymont. And it is a place in which the outgoing president can count first and foremost on the support of FI, but perhaps up to a certain point.
Video Von der Leyen: ‘Do more on defence, the European Union needs to be ready’
To testify to this, here are the words of the vice president of the Senate Licia Ronzulli, who, on the eve of the match with the Azzurri, defined it as “a now lame horse”. A horse you shouldn’t bet on anymore. Von der Leyen, as happened for all the other countries touched by her tour, arrived in Italy at the invitation of the local EPP reference point, namely FI. An invitation that was formulated for the opening day of the Italian campaign for the European Championships, scheduled for the afternoon in EUR. Only at the opening of the campaign von der Leyen never set foot there. Her participation was not expected: von der Leyen is president of the Commission and the EUR event was an electoral event of one of the 4 Italian parties associated with the EPP, informed sources explained mid-day. The point is that it was the only public meeting that von der Leyen could have on the agenda. A meeting similar to the one on Friday in Split, when the Spitzenkandidat spoke at the opening of the campaign of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s party, Hzd. In Rome, the public agenda and climate (including a pro-Palestine mini-protest) were very different. “With von der Leyen things are going well,” assured Tajani. In fact, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister spent a good part of the afternoon with the president of the Commission.
Video Tajani: ‘Von Der Leyen candidate for the EPP, then the council decides’
First at lunch, with the Italian ministers and group leaders in the Chamber, the Senate and the European Chamber. Then to the De Gasperi Foundation, where von der Leyen answered the questions of the young people of FI. “The spirit of De Gasperi must be protected. The more politics brings solutions, the stronger democracy is. And we must fight for democracy”, underlined the Popular Party candidate, focusing on the most varied themes, starting with the Green Deal. On the dossier “a pragmatic and non-ideological approach is needed”, warned Tajani whereas von der Leyen assured that, if the climate objectives do not change, greater freedom will be left on how to achieve them. Tajani and von der Leyen focused on the same topics when meeting the president of Confagricoltura Massimiliano Giansanti and that of Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini. Then the President of the Commission returned to the hotel, to continue her return journey towards Brussels. The agenda changes that occurred in a matter of hours surprised her staff quite a bit. Von der Leyen took it more philosophically, aware that each country has a specific political context to deal with. And in Italy the leaders of the EPP have known for some time that the debate on support for an encore of Ursula could fuel tensions in the majority and in the government, with a League ready to ride the sovereignist wave and a prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, much more open to a collaboration with von der Leyen. The line, from the outgoing president’s side, does not change. In an interview with ANSA, von der Leyen reiterated the need for “a broad coalition of pro-European forces that cooperate” in one of the key moments in the history of the Old Continent. Forces that are pro-Ukraine and pro-rule of law. Forces in which, in theory, the EPP includes Brothers of Italy. Although the composition of the new majority remains to be seen. The changes of shirt, on the right and on the far right, are foreseen by the Popolari. One, in particular, could undermine the dialogue between the EPP and the FDI within the European Chamber: Viktor Orban’s entry into the Conservatives and Reformists.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
