Greens against Fitto becoming EC Vice President

Appointment would undermine European coalition says Reintke

By: ansa.it

Sep 09 2024
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Greens against Fitto becoming

The Greens group in the European Parliament on Monday came out against Italy's nominee to be its member of the new EU executive, European Affairs Minister Raffaele Fitto, getting the key post of Economy Vice President.
    Fitto, a senior figure in Premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, is reportedly going to be nominated for this post, which would put him in charge of overseeing the EU's post-pandemic Recovery Fund.
    The appointment would vindicate Meloni's assertion that Italy will have a important post in the new EU executive despite FdI MEPs voting against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen getting a second term at the helm of the EU executive in July after June's EU elections.
    Meloni was irked that the Conservative ECR group FdI belongs to and which she chairs was left out of the negotiations for the EU top jobs.
    On the other hand, the Greens, which were also left out of those negotiations, voted in favour of von der Leyen's re-election.
    "Ursula von der Leyen was only elected in July because she also got our votes and not those of the extreme right," said Greens Co-Chair Thierry Reintke.
    "This is why the Commission should not suddenly move to the right.
    "Italy has the right to propose its commissioner, but proposing an ECR politician to be part of the Commission's leadership would deliberately undermine July's democratic, pro-European coalition".