Meloni in Brussels: “Europe like the Titanic, so everyone sinks”. Frost with France? “Better not be in the Elysée photo.” Salvini: “Incomprehensible Macron arrogance”

“I am very happy with the results obtained by Italy in this European Council, I am satisfied with the very important steps forward made on some particularly delicate matters”, says the premier. As soon as she can, she extinguishes the controversy over the meeting at the Elysée between Macron And Scholz with Zelensky. “An inopportune invitation”, she had defined it yesterday. “What was right was the photo of the 27 with Zelensky, anticipating unity with a meeting in Paris was politically wrong”, he specified now in front of the press.

“Anyone who thinks of a Serie A and Serie B EU, who thinks that Europe should be a club in which there are those who matter more and who have less, are wrong. In my opinion, when they say that the EU has a first class and a third class, it is worth remembering the Titanic. If a ship sinks it doesn’t matter how much you paid for the ticket, added Meloni. While from Rome it makes itself felt Matthew Salvini: “I heard from Giorgia yesterday, if we manage to bring home a wake-up call in Europe on the subject of immigration, that’s good. I must say that a certain arrogance on the part of Macron is incomprehensible. At a time when there is war, there is the cost of raw materials, the Chinese are sending spy balloons around the world, does Macron think he can go it alone? – he added – I don’t think it will go far, I don’t think it is a manifestation of Europeanism, of solidarity and of political acumen”.

Ukraine, with the presence of the president Zelensky. Economy and migrants: these are the three topics addressed at the European Council and then taken up again at the press conference in Brussels.

relationship with France

He defined some Italian reconstructions as provincial, referring to relations with France. “The theme is not ‘frost’, ‘problems’, the theme is that Italy is a nation central enough in the EU to have to say when it doesn’t agree with something compared to the past in which it was enough for us to stay in a photos and this was enough to describe our centrality”, he replied. So: what happened “doesn’t compromise my relationships, but when something is wrong I have to say it”. Because “it is not easy for any of us to manage the Ukraine issue with public opinion, what we do we do because it is right but perhaps it is not the best thing in terms of consensus. What was right was the photo of the 27 with Zelensky, anticipating unity with a meeting in Paris was politically wrong. The theme was not being in photography and I didn’t share” the choice.

Ukraine

“Italy’s position is extremely clear and consistent on Ukraine with a 360-degree commitment regarding the financial, military and civil front and I reiterated this to Zelensky with whom I spoke”, reports Giorgia Meloni in Brussels. Yesterday Europe gave itself “an image of unity and I think it is a very important signal, clearly within the EU Council and in the conclusions there is the confirmation of full support for the cause of sovereignty and freedom. We reiterated that the The EU will stand by Ukraine’s side for as long as necessary”.

He then confirmed that Italy and France would send the Samp-T system to Kiev. “Absolutely yes, we have been for a long time
engaged in joint ventures” with Paris “on a very important matter for Ukraine. I believe that it is progressing expeditiously and in the next few days we will be able to announce it definitively,” she said.

Economy

“The discussion on competitiveness is a strategic discussion that Italy has also supported – said the premier – This includes the question of supply chains. I believe that the Ukraine affair on energy but even before the pandemic crisis have taught us how in order to recover its sovereignty, the EU must recover the issue of strategic supply chains”.

“The Italian proposal” for the European summit “was that of the possibility of flexibility on existing funds”, explained Meloni at a press conference in Brussels. “The other thing we asked for is that in the future discussion on the Stability Pact, the fact of whether the national co-financing put in place impacts on the deficit/GDP ratio be taken into account. We managed to include this element: the reform of the Pact takes into account decisions taken” on state aid. “The Italian position on the economic matter was fully included in the conclusions of the summit”, he added. “We have asked the Commission to make a proposal on the European sovereign wealth fund, which goes in the direction of European strategic needs – continued the President of the Council – It is about giving a European solution to a European problem”, she said, recalling that there is “an open discussion on easing state aid, especially the demand from nations that have fiscal space.”

Migrants

Satisfied also on the issue of migrants, as the premier said. “Yesterday a principle was established, the approach changed, which is very different from that of recent years. The approach put on paper starts from a sentence that had never been able to put: ‘immigration is a problem for the EU and it needs an EU response”. “Before thinking about secondary movements, we must work together on primary movements, to combat human trafficking and curb illegal entries. We want the EU to get active in its work on Africa, which Italy is now doing. he continued -: we imagine a strengthened cooperation with the countries of departure and transit of immigration to also combat illegal trafficking and allowing people to enter legally with well-regulated flows”.