FI to vote for von der Leyen, League against

Meloni's ECR gives national parties freedom to choose

By: ansa.it

Jul 18 2024
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FI to vote for von der Leyen,

As expected Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his Forza Italia (FI) party will vote for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to get a second term, after she presented her political guidelines in the EU parliament on Thursday, while fellow Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini's League said it will vote against.
    It remains uncertain what the MEPs from Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party will do.
    FdI MEP Nicola Procaccini said the Conservative ECR group FdI belongs to and which Meloni chairs will give the national delegations within it the freedom to choose how to vote.
    The premier was furious that the ECR was left out of the negotiations for the EU top jobs.
    But there is speculation Meloni may get her MEPs to vote for von der Leyen and give 'external' support to the new EU executive if she gets policy concessions and Italy is given a Commissioner with an influential post.
    Von der Leven had a meeting with ECR representatives this week at which a "structural collaboration" between the group and the incoming executive was ruled out.
    Meloni was reportedly looking for the new Commission to adopt a tougher stance on migrants, with special focus given to the Mediterranean, and for changes to the Green Deal, with a more gradual approach to the ecological transition.
    The Commission chief and the Italian premier spoke on the telephone late on Wednesday, sources said. "I will never let the extreme polarisation of our societies become accepted," von der Leven said in her speech on Thursday.
    "And I will never accept that demagogues and extremists destroy our European way of life. And I stand here today ready to lead this fight with all of the democratic forces here in this House".
    The Commission chief vowed to stick "to the targets of the European Green Deal with pragmatism, technology-neutrality and innovation" and to "put forward a new Clean Industrial Deal in the first 100 days" of the new EU executive.
    "We will enshrine our 90% target for 2040 in our European Climate Law," she said.
    "Our companies need to plan their investments for the coming decade already today.
    "And this is not only about business. For our young people, 2030, 2040, 2050 is around the corner.
    "They know that we have to reconcile climate protection with a prosperous economy.
    "And they would never forgive us if we do not rise to the challenge. So, this is not only a matter of competitiveness, but also a matter of intergenerational fairness. The young people deserve it" Von der Leyen also said she would appoint a Commissioner for the Mediterranean and propose a new agenda for it.
    Tajani said FI, which belongs to von der Leyen's European People's Party (EPP), would vote in favour, saying the speech featured "many of Forza Italia's proposals".
    Paolo Borchia, the head of the League delegation in the European Parliament, said Salvini's party would vote against "without ambiguity".