The game on EU nominations remains at a standstill and it is likely that it will remain so for at least a week, the week leading up to the second round of the French elections for the National Assembly. A vote with still uncertain outcomes, but in any case destined to impact the European balance and in particular the Italian strategy for the top positions of the Union. At stake is Giorgia Meloni’s prestige in Brussels and her electoral credibility at home, where she intends to show that Rome’s weight on the continent is now decisive, especially after the disappointing results obtained in the European elections by colleagues Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz.
The new majority in the Commission and the Von der Leyen issue
In the European Council, the Prime Minister has taken a wait-and-see attitude by abstaining on the second mandate for Ursula von der Leyen. While sending a strong signal with her vote against the nomination of the Portuguese Antonio Costa as president of the body and of Kaja Kallas as High Representative for Foreign Affairs. The issue remains the possibility of being part of the majority that will elect Von der Leyen with the group of European Conservatives and Reformists, of which Meloni is president. An eventuality already excluded by the Socialists and Liberals (the latter outnumbered by the ECR), but which continues to divide the Populars. Antonio Tajani, an authoritative voice in the EPP, insists on the need to open up: “We need a broad majority and we need to give an answer to the voters,” he repeated this morning. The circumstance would cut out the League and its group (the sovereignists of Identity and Democracy). Which however looks with interest at the possible birth of a new formation, after the three-way alliance around the “Patriotic Manifesto” launched by the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, together with the former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and the Austrian Herbert Kickl. It is difficult to evaluate how and if it will be able to shake up the dynamics of the Union.
Meloni’s goals and the possible names to achieve them
Regardless of the future majority, Giorgia Meloni’s goals for the European executive have been clear for days. The prime minister wants the vice-presidency and a weighty commissioner with important economic responsibilities. The name that is being circulated is Raffaele Fitto, minister for EU affairs and a trusted man of the head of the executive. But there are also other options on the table. The first is the one that leads to Elisabetta Belloni, who has already shown that she knows how to move very well as a G7 sherpa. Alternatively, there is talk of the head of Defense, Guido Crosetto (also very close to the prime minister). In any case, the challenge is still open and between now and July 18, the day in which the European Parliament will have to vote on the nominations proposed by the leaders, it will be good to expect many moves by the actors called to design the new European structure, all potentially capable of changing the inertia of the game.
