Bari, 13 June 2024 – In Puglia it’s midsummer. It’s hot, tourists are already arriving en masse at Bari airport. But amidst suitcases, backpacks and holiday air, you can also breathe a different air, especially between the capital and Fasano, just where the province of Brindisi begins. On the same runway in Bari Palese, military helicopters, police and Carabinieri cars, some in full uniform, intersperse the comings and goings of tourists. Just as on the Bari ring road, at every exit at least one patrol from the Police, the Financial Police or the municipal police is patrolling and controlling the area.
American President Joe Biden together with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Tension and safety
Why you can feel the air of the G7, yes. The mantra, also repeated softly, is “safety”. On the other hand, it is not every day that the world’s leaders come to these extreme corners of Europe to discuss the fate of a world turned upside down. The tension is there, palpable. The taxi drivers, the usually disenchanted ones, let slip their “but it’s all a scene anyway”, “they’re just chatting”. Yet, never before has the summit of the greats that Italy is hosting for the seventh time brought to the table such important themes and issues that even just talking about it is no small thing.
Work already in progress
This explains why, despite officially starting today, the G7 has already come to life. Giorgia Melonithe Prime Minister strengthened by the vote and hostess of the summit, is already at Borgo Egnazia, the luxury resort in Fasano, since Monday, when the celebration for the outcome of the European Championships was still fresh. He is there with his daughter Ginevra. “Strong and in a good mood”, they describe her. She certainly intends to make sure that the summit is a success, for herself, for the government she leads and for Italy’s image.
If Bari is garrisoned, obviously Borgo Egnazia is a single indistinct red zone, off limits. As well as the Castello Svevo of Brindisi which hosts the inaugural dinner this evening, also attended by the head of state, Sergio Mattarella. All eyes are on theItaly. Maybe in questionable ways, like those of CNN which from overseas shoots nothing: “Mafia-type violence is increasing in the same Italian region where the G7 leaders will meet”. The government and the center-right rise up and talk about “defamation” and “mud”.
Political controversies
And then there is also the controversy, far from over, about the ship Mykonos Magic intended to host law enforcement officers during the days of the summit. Dilapidated conditions, complaints, accusations, reassurances from the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, alternative hotel accommodations and opposition protests. In short, the climate is hot in every sense. Not to mention the no-G7, of the processions and demonstrations announced by the grassroots movements, committees and unions, starting from the “dinner of the poor” as opposed to the exclusive starred menu (signed by Massimo Bottura) which will accompany the seven leaders on a gastronomic tour of the regions of Italy . Wines included.
Glamor and Made in Italy
In these cases, form is also substance, in reality. Thus, in addition to the program of discussion tables, bilateral meetings (tomorrow Meloni will see Biden), of the important participations (never before had a pontiff been seen: Francis will talk about artificial intelligence), of the documents and indiscretions, nothing is left to chance even when it comes to the leaders’ partners. Not just first ladies, let’s be clear: there is also Heiko von der Leyen, husband of the President of the European Commission. As in the time of Joachim Sauer married Merkel. A G7 is also worldly and cultural at the same time: the trulli of Alberobello, the thousand-year-old olive trees, the archaeological museums, the ceramics of Grottaglie and a historic train in the Itria Valley.
Close comparison
Behind the scenes, however, the “sherpas” have been negotiating for days and on the draft final declaration. There has already been an uproar, proving the skeptics of “it’s just talk” wrong. And the discussions are not only on hot topics that will monopolize attention, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but on other issues such as civil rights. The latest controversy is on abortion: in fact, the point in which the leaders underlined the importance of “effective and safe access” to the termination of pregnancy, as they wanted, has disappeared. France and Canada. The case mounts immediately, but everyone rushes to point out that, as always, everything is being negotiated and “what will be included in the final document will be a sticking point resulting from the negotiations”.
And we’re not at the beginning yet…
