The meeting in question was expected with great interest, due to the different views of the two sides, but also the criticism that Meloni has made in Germany
The war in Ukraine, immigration and strengthening Europe’s competitiveness were the central issues of talks earlier this evening between Chancellor Olaf Solz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Berlin, in a meeting that was highly anticipated due to of the different views of the two sides, but also of the criticism that the Italian Prime Minister has leveled at Germany.
With the Italian Prime Minister, “we agree to a large extent on the issues of foreign policy and security policy, especially with regard to the Russian attack against Ukraine and how to deal with its consequences, Mr. Soltz said, and emphasized in particular that “Italy and Germany provide Ukraine with extensive defense support against Russian aggression – and this will remain so.” For her part, Ms Meloni, who was initially feared to be more sympathetic to the Russian leadership, said: “I do not agree with those who say that if you support Ukraine, you continue the war, that is not true. If we did not support Ukraine, then we would not have peace, but an invasion. Supporting Ukraine is the only way to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.” Asked about it, Georgia Meloni said, however, that her country will not send tanks to Ukraine. “We are only where our presence is needed,” he noted.
The difference of opinion was, however, evident on immigration, with Mr Scholz favoring a humanitarian policy for refugees, while announcing deals with countries of origin so that illegal immigrants could return to their country of origin. “Whoever has the right to stay in Europe must be able to stay. But anyone who does not have the right to stay with us, must of course return to his country and must be able to return”, explained the chancellor and emphasized the need to have “legal ways of immigration”. Georgia Meloni, on the contrary, underlined that “the issue of migration is also a matter of security” and mainly highlighted the importance of stopping the migration flows before they reach the European borders. “You can’t fight secondary migration without dealing with primary migration,” she said characteristically, adding that her government’s goal is to create jobs and provide financial aid to these countries, as, as she said, poverty is often cause of migration.
Regarding the competitiveness of the European Union in the new international environment, the Italian Prime Minister requested as short-term solutions the full flexibility of the existing EU funds and the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact. He was in favor of taking on a common debt in the EU and in favor of imposing a European ceiling on the price of natural gas, acknowledging at the same time that there are different opinions on these issues, “that’s why it will take time” for decisions to be made. He once again condemned “national policies” in energy matters, with an eye on the ceiling imposed by the German government on the prices of electricity and natural gas. “Competitiveness must be the same for everyone. And we must at this moment raise all the issues. We need European answers”, he added. Asked about the disparities between rich and poor EU member states in terms of economic competition, Mr Solz stressed the need for more flexibility and less bureaucracy when it comes to financial aid. “It would be good not to have to wait two or three years for a decision,” he commented.
The two leaders clearly sought to emphasize the points of convergence of their policies and the importance of bilateral cooperation, despite the fact that Olaf Solz did not rush to extend an invitation to the Italian prime minister after her election to visit Berlin. The reason was probably Mrs. Meloni’s pre-election statements hostile to Germany. In April 2019, the then opposition candidate said she learned Spanish and French but failed to learn German despite being a “nerd”. “I am allergic to Germany, even when it comes to books,” she had said, and her specific statement was recalled today by the entire German press, ahead of the meeting with the chancellor. “I have no idea when I said it,” Ms. Meloni said tonight when asked about it. “I failed to learn German, but not because I’m allergic,” she limited herself to stating, in an attempt to joke.
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