An official statement by the Italian government indicates that minutes before the start of the meeting of the European Council with the heads of state and government of the 27 member countries of the EU, the President informed the press that the reactions to the economic consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, the energy issues in particular should be political rather than technical.
On 24th November Italy considered the EU’s proposed gas price cap of 275 euros per megawatt hour to be too high announced the Minister for this sector, Gilberto Pichetto.
In his statements this Thursday, Meloni also referred to Italy’s and the Union’s war support for Kyiv in the military confrontation with Moscow and reiterated the position to maintain it.
In presentations made to the Chamber of Deputies and Senate on December 13 and 14, the Italian Prime Minister reiterated that her government intends to proactively expand its role in Ukraine’s favor with new arms supplies.
Last Wednesday, Senator Pietro Lorefice of the opposition 5 Star Movement (M5S) questioned the current Italian government’s position, which he said is fueling the conflict and “is not working” while denying the EU’s role in the coup criticized aside “politics and multilateralism” to achieve peace.
“It is enough to read the conclusions of all the European Councils held since the beginning of the war: only commitments of a military nature and proposals to increase defense spending, without even pursuing a diplomatic route of negotiation,” the lawmaker said.
Lorefice added that the Union’s pacifist vision “is in danger of being lost today, it is no coincidence that President Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell have relinquished their role as leaders of the EU have slavishly followed the line of the United States and NATO”.
mem/orth