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A three-day event in Pescara has been held to chart the course that will lead Fratelli d’Italia to the upcoming European elections on June 8-9. The political conference’s title, “Italy changes Europe”, clearly indicates the party’s goal under the leadership of Giorgia Meloni post-elections.
After years of leftist governance, the intention is to make the Italian voice heard and to have a presence at the influential tables. This is primarily due to Italy’s geographical position, which plays a crucial role in immigration and consequently in security, especially given the increasing geopolitical tension. The event took place in three main halls, each with an identity-driven name: “Milan 1848”, “Budapest 1956”, and “Vienna 1683”. Set up on the sands of the Pescara coastline, they were populated daily by party militants, officials, parliamentarians, ministers, and undersecretaries.
The event kicked off on Friday afternoon with a significant announcement: Pope Francis’s participation in the G7 summit to discuss artificial intelligence. Italy will host the G7 summit in Puglia, an honor and responsibility. Another emotionally impactful moment was an interview with Senate President Ignazio La Russa conducted by journalist Bianca Berlinguer, daughter of the late Italian communist leader Enrico Berlinguer. Despite the challenging years of political activism, marked by violence against many politically engaged youths during the “Years of Lead”, Giorgio Almirante, leader of the Movimento Sociale Italiano, always showed respect for Berlinguer, and vice versa.
During the event, numerous center-right figures gathered in Pescara, including Lorenzo Cesa, Maurizio Lupi, and Antonio Tajani, while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini participated via video conference. Salvini’s absence was no surprise, as both he and the organizers were aware of his unavoidable personal commitments from the outset.
In the concluding speech of the event, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced her candidacy and kicked off Fratelli d’Italia’s election campaign. “I have decided to enter the field to lead the Fratelli d’Italia lists in all electoral districts,” she announced on the final day of the party’s programmatic conference in Pescara. She emphasized that the election campaign would not distract her from the work she is carrying out for the nation’s government. She then stressed the importance of citizens’ judgment, inviting them to express themselves by simply writing “Giorgia” on the ballot. This is to emphasize how power hasn’t changed her and how she is still the same as when, out of a sense of duty to her nation, still shaken by the mafia bombings, she decided to join that section of Fronte della Gioventù.
In her speech, Meloni presented herself not only as the party’s leader but also as a government figure, highlighting achievements and criticizing the lack of media visibility. With an announcement awaited as much as expected, she declared her candidacy for the European Parliament elections, emphasizing the importance of participation and cohesion to achieve objectives.
Addressing Italians, Meloni stated her intention to gauge their assessment of the work done both in Italy and in Europe, reaffirming her determination to change the direction of European policies. “We will also defend our excellences, our borders, our identity in the EU”, she added. “This time too, they will say we are crazy, that it is an impossible challenge to win”, she continued. “They have declared us defeated many times, they have said that we were destined to disappear. Let them say it. While they bask in this reassuring hope, we will continue to work as we always have, and who knows if this time too we will manage to defy the odds. The time has come to raise the stakes; let’s change Europe as well”.
Finally, regarding European alliances, Meloni defused any controversy by emphasizing the party’s consistency in not aligning with the left, neither in Rome nor in Brussels. The message is clear: “Never with the left”.