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These are important days in terms of appointments for the most prominent exponents of ECR. Between the ECR study days organised in Warsaw and the Fratelli d’Italia ‘Atreju’ convention in Rome, there is no shortage of opportunities for meetings and debate.
THE OBJECTIVES OF THE MEETINGS
These are interesting occasions to take stock and understand which moves to put in the field in order to have a greater impact on the new Von Der Leyen Commission, especially considering the weight that ECR has assumed within the European Parliament, as well as the weight that its president – albeit outgoing – Giorgia Meloni is achieving internationally. In the meantime, let us start with the numbers in Strasbourg, where the ECR group currently counts 78 MEPs, presidents and vice-presidents of Commissions about important topics such as agriculture, budget etc. A considerable specific weight, also in view of the initiatives taken in the international debate. But there is also the role, again at an international level, taken by the President of ECR and Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. A double recognition that has arrived in these days and that takes on greater weight if we look at the two publications that have certified it. We are talking about Politico and The Economist that have sanctioned Prime Minister Meloni’s excellent results in Europe and on the domestic front. Politico awarded her the title of most powerful political leader in the European Union, while The Economist focuses on Italy’s economic performance, which ranks fourth among the other member states of the European Union. A recognition that is certainly linked to the overall scenario in which Giorgia Meloni has found herself operating in these years of government. Of course, the relationship with the next President of the United States and his right-hand man Elon Musk weighs in, but also how the conservatives have positioned themselves in Europe under her presidency in recent years. There is as well no doubt that, although she voted against Von Der Leyen in Strasbourg in July, her relationship with the President allowed Italy to obtain six vice-presidencies in the new Commission, an achievement that one could hardly have bet lightly on in July.
THE THEMES AND MEETINGS IN WARSAW
The themes of the panels that were organised by the ECR for the study days in Warsaw are many and all interesting and topical. From the debate on the family and the social model of Europe (where we heard speeches by the vice-president of the European Parliament, Antonella Sberna, and the MEP from Fratelli d’Italia, Chiara Gemma) to the panel on the European Green deal and its repercussions on the agricultural sector. Without forgetting topics such as the competitiveness of the European Union at international level, new technologies and social media, the system of infrastructures in Europe and the complex issue of the external borders of the Union and migration flows.
THE GREEN DEAL AND EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE
Among the speakers of the panel on the Green Deal and the close connection that this EU policy will have with the agriculture sector in the coming years, was the head of the Fratelli d’Italia delegation in Brussels, Carlo Fidanza. The topic of the Green Deal was addressed from the perspective of one of the most important sectors for the European Union: agriculture and, subsequently, food processing. Fidanza stated that, in his opinion, it would be necessary to review some central elements of the EU-Mercosur agreement, so as to limit the imbalance to the detriment of European agriculture. In this case, in fact, the highest price in free trade agreements is paid by European products and, therefore, farmers. An approval of this agreement, according to Fidanza, is in fact impossible at the moment, without intervening with mitigating measures – i.e. compensations – to shelter farmers from this imbalance. It is, once again, the overcoming of an ideological Green Deal far removed from the reality of the facts. It is not just a question of the damage that could be done to the automotive sector with the maniacal imposition of electric technology – which is, by the way, only partially controlled by the European Union – but also of looking at our food and our farmers. The common point here, at least among the ranks of the Fratelli d’Italia delegation, seems to be the one also recalled on several occasions by Prime Minister Meloni: achieving energy neutrality, but doing that through an energy mix that respects the specificities of each EU member country, also focusing on biofuels and nuclear energy.
THE TOPIC OF EXTERNAL BORDERS
Interesting, as well as central to the international scene and current events related to Syria, is the debate on the EU’s external borders and migratory flows, as well as policies on asylum applications. On the latter issue, we are seeing in the last few days an alignment of European chancelleries on the suspension of the procedures aimed to verifying asylum requests from refugees arriving from Syria, precisely in the face of the country’s changed structure and a situation that is still developing. It is at this juncture that Nicola Procaccini, co-chairman of the ECR group in the European Parliament, intervened in the debate, aiming to outline what are the central elements of the conservative approach to the situation. First of all, there must be a strict governance of the phenomenon, especially on the selection of those who are entitled to asylum or not. Procaccini states that it would be useful putting together all the necessary measures to avoid an escalation of arrivals. The example given is that of Poland after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. With the reception of millions of Ukrainians, a wonderful and generous service has been performed, but this effort does not seem to have been fully understood by the European Union. The debate can, therefore, only return to the Italian specificity, with the approach of externalising the issue of immigration by starting with the fight against human trafficking. A policy that is implemented with the coordination and collaboration of the nations of departure or transit of migrants, with the ultimate goal of putting together broader policies that can create the conditions in these places to see the right not to emigrate guaranteed, up to the creation of reception centres outside the borders of the European Union to allow the evaluation of the migrant’s right to reception.
ATREJU AND THE FUTURE OF THE ECR PRESIDENCY
The Atreju convention in Rome is the stage for what can be described as the first step towards a change in the presidency of the ECR. President Meloni will most likely leave the presidency of the group, which should almost certainly pass to former Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki. Apparently, the actual handover should take place soon, probably as early as next month. In this way, the ECR delegation that will be present at the inauguration of the new US President will already consist of the new President. Inauguration Day is set for January 20th of next year, so the timeframe for this handover is quite tight, especially if one considers the rules laid down in the ECR statute with 15 days having to elapse between the convocation of the Council and the election of the new president. The candidacy can be presented by anyone from the conservative family, but the weight of Fratelli d’Italia and the Polish PiS could easily close the game in a short time. In any case, at the closing of Atreju there will be an opportunity for a first exchange of words, a sort of first handover, since Morawiecki will be present at the Circo Massimo in the closing session dedicated precisely to the ECR conservatives; shortly before Meloni’s speech, scheduled at noon. Giorgia has held this position since 2020, the first Italian woman at the head of a party in Europe, and she has certainly charted its course in recent years, increasing its legitimacy and weight in the European institutions.
Photograph: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com ID 2222046149.