Salvini is already working on the Europeans. The strategy for weighing in Strasbourg – Corriere.it

That rebus called Europe. The centre-right wins in Italy and also wins a lot in Europe, from Greece to Finland to Bulgaria. Waiting to see what will happen (but the forecast seems easy) to the early elections in Spain, for the League, however, the paradox of its international location remains. That Eurogroup called Identity and Democracy (Id) and which up to now has never managed to get into the game and still burns the memory of the “cordon sanitaire” tightened around the party in 2019. For many, the fault of the poor usability born from having as fellow travelers Marine Le Pen and above all Alternative für Deutschland, the German extreme right, incompatible with any possible dialogue with the EPP. Of course, the Salvinians repeat to themselves that “the popular are no longer the force they used to be” but the difficulty remains. Many Northern League supporters have been lulled into the idea of ​​training without the AfD for some time. But no one spoke of the possible new group at the Northern League federal council on Monday.

Yesterday, the group leader in the Senate, Massimiliano Romeoto Agora
he said it like this: the League gave Salvini the mandate «to verify if there are the conditions for the party is as much as possible within the decisions that Europe takes». But be careful, according to the head of the senators this does not mean changing groups at all: “It is important that the League maintains its identity and does not get watered down with other formations but also that it places itself in a position that allows us to influence EU policies” . Romeo speaks, and it is exactly the same position expressed by Salvini in the recent Northern League conclave. But the risk of being out of the game – and with a very active Giorgia Meloni on the international scene – it is clear to everyone: “If the agreement with the popular parties is made by the premier’s group (Ecr), we are done”. And no one took Antonio Tajani’s joke from the other day as a distraction. The Foreign Minister of Forza Italia said he saw “an alliance between the popular, conservatives and liberals after the European elections”. And who knows what Salvini and Silvio Berlusconi said to each other on the subject, proud of his belonging to the Ppe, at the meeting in Arcore.

But precisely, beyond the mandate to negotiate for Salvini, the crux of the matter still seems to be found. Northern League supporters take comfort in thinking of an electoral campaign in which to spark the results of the government, but the Europeans are based on a proportional system and therefore very competitive. And Meloni’s excessive power scares. To maximize the electoral result, Salvini spoke to him about the “super lists”. In practice, many of the party’s most prominent figures will be candidates for the European elections. The Northern League secretary made the explicit example of the ministers but the call could come for everyone. Which, for those interested, is never a pleasure: the risk of results not up to par worries even the better placed.

And in the meantime, just as they announce themselves in the party awaited regional congresses which should take place between June and July, the discussion ignites for a novelty that the secretary is very determined to introduce: make explicit in the statute that who does not pay the contribution to the party he loses his card and therefore any possibility of being, for example, a candidate. Even before paying was a duty. Less stringent, perhaps: to bring down a militant, a disciplinary measure was needed. Now, the distracted will automatically find themselves outside.

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