Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made her first speech to parliament on Tuesday a space to deny ties to fascism — despite the historic origins of her own party and the sometimes extreme positions of coalition leaders. far-right movement that led her to head the government.
“I have never felt any sympathy or closeness with anti-democratic regimes. For any regime, including fascism,” Meloni said, adding that he considers the anti-Semitic laws implemented by dictator Benito Mussolini in the late 1930s “the lowest point in Italian history, a shame that will stain our people forever.”
Meloni’s sentence has a hint of contradiction: at the age of 15, the Italian prime minister joined the youth section of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a party founded in 1946 by members of Mussolini’s later years. At the same time, its current legend, the Brothers of Italy, has members who to this day commemorate fascism dates, in addition to having in its logo a flame with the three colors of the flag – also a fascist heritage.
As expected, Meloni touched on various themes of Italy’s domestic and foreign policy – his speech was 16 pages long and lasted more than an hour, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The first woman to take over the country’s government has again promised that she will maintain the European Union’s hard line against Russian President Vladimir Putin, defend sanctions against Moscow and continue to support Ukraine in the war that has been raging for eight months.
“Giving in to Putin’s blackmail on energy would not solve the problem, but it would exacerbate it by paving the way for more demands and blackmail,” Meloni said, referring to the energy crisis that haunts Europe on the eve of winter and the cuts in Russian gas supplies. to the mainland.
Last week, the Italian leader had already made a statement by saying that her government would be pro-NATO, a Western military alliance, and pro-Europe, in a sign of disagreement with her coalition colleague and former premier Silvio Berlusconi – a friend of Putin. .
What sets Meloni’s policies apart from those of other European governments, however, is perhaps how to deal with rising gas prices. While part of Europe advocates accelerating the development of renewable energy, it argues that the environmental agenda needs to be citizen-focused — a euphemism for the economic impact of an eventual energy transition.
“What distinguishes us from ideological environmentalism is that we want to defend nature with man inside”, he said, leaving in the air the possibility of being a thorn in the European Union’s shoe in relation to the issue, although he has defended investments in renewable energy.
Meloni also stressed his support for financial policies for families and companies indebted due to rising inflation on the continent – other European leaders have announced similar measures in recent days. “The context in which the government will have to act is very complicated, perhaps the most difficult since the Second World War,” he said, adding that Italy could enter a recession in 2023.
The prime minister’s announcement, however, is likely to intensify internal disputes in the far-right coalition. That’s because Meloni is already considering postponing some of his main campaign banners, including measures supported by Matteo Salvini, leader of the League, the second largest force within the coalition.
Still on important agendas for the Italian far-right, Meloni said his administration will try to stop the smuggling of people across the Mediterranean and work with African governments to help stop the continent’s migrant flows. Despite her notorious anti-immigration flag, the new leader was against the naval blockade imposed by Salvini in 2019, which prohibits the arrival of ships with migrants on the Italian coast.
In a clear attempt to moderate her speech and, consequently, the view on her government, Meloni also praised her predecessor, Mário Draghi, for, according to her, having facilitated a “quick and peaceful transition”. For several moments, lawmakers gave a standing ovation to the prime minister – including the opposition, which perked up when the Italian mentioned policies to fight poverty.
Later this Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies will hold a vote of confidence in the new government and, at the end of the day, a similar vote is expected in the Senate – formalities for the officialization of the position, in which Meloni must be approved with a large majority.
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