“Private life; What private life?”, Giorgia Meloni answered with a wry smile to a related question from journalist Bruno Vespa about her free time on the talk show “Porta a Porta” two weeks ago. Since winning the election a year ago (25/09) and being sworn in as the first female prime minister a month later, the Italian has time exclusively for personal things “that absolutely have to be done”, as she revealed.

Heading a government of three far-right parties feels exhausting – but it hasn’t changed her, says the post-fascist leader of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party. “Not a day goes by that I don’t wonder if I’m the same person I was before,” Meloni confided. “I’ve always been afraid of not staying true to myself, but I stay true to myself.”

After her election victory, Meloni did not repeat the radical slogans of her election campaign. In Italy, she is trying to shape social policy according to a strictly conservative concept of family and more or less continues the successful economic policy of her predecessor, Mario Draghi.

In Europe, however, it is almost moderate. Meloni prefers to leave radical rhetoric to her coalition partners, Matteo Salvini of the right-wing populist Lega and Christian Democrat Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who is following in the footsteps of late Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi. “I have a political history behind me, adapted to a changing reality,” Meloni says. The fact that she heads a party that bears on its emblem the eternal flame from the tomb of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini does not burden her in her day-to-day government work.

Balancing with the E.U.

This is something that the European partners are also apparently overlooking. EU officials in Brussels they say they are surprised by how “soft” the head of the Italian government has become. When she took office, she still claimed she would turn things around in Brussels and aggressively represent Italian interests.

Meanwhile, she’s probably figured out that those aspirations are better served with quieter tones in the background. Meeting with Social Democrat and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Rome, Meloni told the press that they had agreed on all key policy areas and were seeking realistic cooperation. Soltz didn’t disagree. Now Meloni gets along quite well with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

The focus is on the interception of migration flows

During their recent visit to Lampedusa, the President of the Commission and the Head of the Italian Government showed that they are moving in the same direction when it comes to migration policy: border control, limiting arrivals, strengthening cooperation with transit countries.

Meloni and von der Leyen traveled twice to Tunis to reach an agreement with the Tunisian president on intercepting migrants. Compared to other heads of government, Meloni is more focused on North Africa as a means of reducing migration flows.

The Italian Prime Minister has received criticism for what is happening in Lampedusa. One resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, told DW that Meloni only talks and accomplishes almost nothing. The number of arrivals is double what it was a year ago. Since 2013 the distraught woman has already seen four Italian prime ministers and two other presidents of the European Commission on the island, which they are visiting just as it is once again overwhelmed by migrants.

High acceptance rates

Meloni’s approval ratings are top notch. In August, 53% of Italians declared themselves satisfied with the work of the prime minister. In comparison, Chancellor Scholz has an approval rating of just 31% in Germany.

In her conservative family policy, Meloni adheres to the view that the family consists of father, mother and children. As he states, it is important to have as high a birth rate as possible to save the nation. Same-sex parenting, surrogacy, or abortion have no place in this worldview. She remains true to her motto: “I am a woman, Italian, mother, Christian”, values ​​that are constantly under attack in today’s culture, as Meloni protests.

In Italy this perception of the family is reflected in higher social benefits for young families and children. The parental rights of same-sex couples, on the other hand, are limited.

International friendships

In contrast to her close friend Orban, Georgia Meloni unreservedly supports Ukraine in its war with Russia, a stance that the US president has praised. Joe Biden. When Meloni was elected prime minister, Joe Biden described her election victory as “a danger to democracy. But now “we’re friends,” as Meloni declared after the two had a one-on-one meeting in Washington.

Although inexperienced in foreign policy, Meloni made friends at international summits, such as the G20 summit in New Delhi. The public display of affection between the far-right and India’s nationalist leader Narendra Modi has drawn enthusiastic comments.

“It’s all a bluff”

Georgia Meloni believes she has coped well in her first year in office. In a just-released interview book, she hinted that her government also makes mistakes, but that it does its best “in good faith, love and humility.” She intends to remain prime minister for a long time. Unlike most of her predecessors she does not want to resign early because of any government crises, but wants to rule for a full five years.

Opposition leader Giuseppe Conte of the left-wing populist Five Star party feels only contempt for this self-assessment. “He’s bluffing,” says the former prime minister. “Meloni? With her in charge for a year, gas prices have skyrocketed, the cost of living is high and immigration is rampant.”