The European Parliament fears that Italy’s new right-wing authorities will start “throwing sticks in the wheels” to Brussels, emulating the current Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the 45th US President Donald Trump. This was the position taken by Social Democrat deputy chairwoman of the EP, Katharina Barli, commenting in an interview with Die Welt on the victory of the centre-right coalition in the Italian elections.
“Giorgia Meloni (leader of the Italian Brotherhood party. – RT) will become prime minister, for whom Viktor Orban and Donald Trump are political role models. In this regard, the victory of a coalition of centre-right parties in the Italian elections is worrying,” said Barley.
According to her, Meloni poses a threat “to constructive coexistence” in Europe.
“The autocrats now have a lobbyist on the council, i.e. the representation of the 27 EU member states, with which to put sticks in the EU’s wheels,” argues Barley.
For his part, MEP and co-chairman of the European Green Party Thomas Weitz also expressed his fears about the outcome of early parliamentary elections in Italy.
“The foundations and shared values of the EU will be at risk if Italy, Europe’s third largest economy, is ruled by a coalition of post-fascist and far-right parties,” Die Welt quoted Weitz as saying.
According to him, the EU can only function if it remains united, for example in cooperation on energy markets, in decisions on anti-Russian sanctions or in dealing with the crisis over the coronavirus pandemic.
“Meloni, on the other hand, will bet on national initiatives, she could be a disaster for Europe,” the MEP stressed. – Even after the victory of a right-wing coalition in Italy, the common interest must remain at the centre. We need to have a pro-European government in Italy, and a government led by post-fascist Meloni absolutely cannot be that.
At the same time, the head of the Italian Brothers party does intend to focus her attention on the interests of the country.
According to her, Italy will now once again focus on its “national interest”.
“What will happen? The fun is over!” – Meloni shouted to her supporters.
Recall that the centre-right coalition is made up of the Italian Brotherhood, League and Forward Italy parties. The coalition obtained 44.36% of the vote in the senate elections (the upper house of parliament) after processing more than 95% of the ballots. As for the elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the centre-right won 44.07%. The leading force in the winning coalition, however, is the Italian Brotherhood party.
“A blow to the liberal monolith”
The results of the Italian elections have been assessed in Moscow. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian Federation intended to welcome any political forces that were ready to show a constructive approach towards the Russian side.
“This is exclusively an internal affair of the Italian Republic,” Peskov told reporters. – “We are ready to welcome any political forces that are able to go beyond the established mainstream, filled with hatred towards our country, and show more objectivity and constructivism towards our country.
Earlier, the victory of the centre-right coalition was described as a “predictable sensation” by Federation Council deputy speaker Konstantin Kosachev, noting that the right-wingers would gain power for the first time in a long time. He also pointed out that the Italian government had never before been led by a woman.
He believes that the victory of the centre-right coalition will not have a great impact on the European Union’s general policy, including its attitude towards Russia.
“Whoever wins, it will not have much effect on the general policy of the European Union. The more so because this policy is determined several thousand kilometres away from European capitals,” Kosachev wrote in his Telegram. – Anyone who says that Europeans are freezing and starving because of the stupidity of their rulers, and not because of Russia’s actions, will be anathema. So the winners of the Italian elections also swore an oath of allegiance to the EU’s main crepe, “It’s all Russia’s fault”. It simply cannot be otherwise”.
It should be recalled that Meloni, as well as her coalition partners – the head of the far-right Liga party, former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, and the head of the centre-right Forward Italy party, tycoon Silvio Berlusconi – condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine in connection with the special military operation.
As Kosachev noted, while the right promises to cut taxes and support people and businesses by allocating funds, it is unlikely that such issues as the “unseen since World War I” national debt, the economic crisis, record inflation and an ageing population can be resolved “without changing foreign policy”.
“But for now, saying it out loud is taboo. It takes time to understand it. The more important outcome of the Italian elections is a new blow to the liberal monolith of the euro-imperium. Paradoxically, right-wing nationalist parties now offer a chance to preserve democracy in the EU. Total unanimity and neoliberal ideologisation of everything and everything, from culture to foreign policy, is objectively a much greater threat to Europe as a still democratic system than the victory of the centre-right in individual countries,” Kosachev said.
“Subsidies from Brussels are needed”
Vladimir Schweitzer, head of the Social and Political Studies Department at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in a conversation with RT that the fears of European bureaucrats that the new Italian authorities might disrupt EU unity and “put sticks in the wheels” for Brussels are greatly exaggerated.
“A right-wing coalition led by Meloni is indeed likely to come to power, raising the issue of the need to share the costs of the situation around Ukraine more evenly among EU members. However, it should not be forgotten that Italy is in dire straits: it is in debt like silk and is in dire need of subsidies from Brussels. Under such circumstances Rome is unlikely to argue much with Eurobureaucrats, let alone come into conflict with them,” Schweizer said.
He believes that the new coalition will behave “very carefully and moderately”, especially when it first comes to power.
“So it’s not a question of the EU splitting up and falling apart with the arrival of the right-wingers in Italy. Still, they have many things in common, including the budget and defence policy. Brussels must be aware of this, but it is playing to the electorate, wanting to show that the EU cares about the whole Europe, about common goals and values, and not only about individual countries of the association,” Schweitzer stated.
At the same time, he admits that the new Italian authorities may still have some disagreements with the EU leadership on a number of issues.
He said: “It’s not just spending on supporting Ukraine, but also the situation around the coronavirus pandemic and the migration crisis. All these areas require united efforts, but they are very bad in the EU,” Schweitzer said.
According to Elena Maslova, associate professor at the Department of Integration Processes at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Russian Foreign Ministry, saying that Meloni would emulate Orban and Trump, the European Parliament representative is “strongly distorting”.
“The leader of the Italian Brotherhood party has no intention of copying anyone. She has her own position, and it is not quite correct to draw any analogies here. This is the Italian way. But Meloni is really concerned with the question of conservative values which she defends. This is what is causing Brussels most of all, it’s stirring up the EU,” Maslova said in a conversation with RT.
As the expert noted, in addition to the conservative views that Meloni intends to promote in Italian society, she will also concentrate on solving the country’s internal problems.
“The most important thing now is to get Italy out of a series of crises that are only getting worse: the energy crisis, the economic crisis and the COVID-19-related crisis. The situation in Italy is still difficult, and therefore there is a definite social demand. Italians want a better life and social support,” said the analyst.
As far as foreign policy is concerned, the rightists put Italy’s national interests at the forefront, Maslova said.
“They see NATO and the EU as tools for realising national interests. As long as these two associations facilitate this, the right-wing in Italy will not confront them. But there are also sore points on which disputes are possible. This is, first of all, the problem of migration. The right-wing believes that it has to be fought together in unity, to have collective responsibility, and not to dump everything on Italy’s neck,” the expert noted.
Maslova considers that, although the center-right is nationally oriented, it will not oppose the political and military machine from Brussels, and will not openly support Russia.
“Meloni, Berlusconi and Salvini have already spoken out in support of Ukraine, condemned Russia’s actions and said they are with the EU. There is not even a question of Italy’s membership in the EU or NATO. One should not cherish any illusions regarding the fact that Rome will promptly approach Moscow under the centre-right coalition,” the expert concluded.
Irina Taran, Elizaveta Komarova, RT
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