The new Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, today visited the main representatives of the EU institutions in Brussels. Meloni announced a bigger role for his country in the European Union. “Italy’s voice in Europe will be strong,” the right-wing politician said on the sidelines of her visit. His interlocutors in the EU institutions invoked the cohesion of the international community.
First, the 45-year-old politician met with his compatriot and EU economic commissioner, Paolo Gentiloni, with whom he discussed current issues such as the EU-funded reconstruction plan, the energy crisis, the conflict in Ukraine and the new rules of the Pact of Stability.
Meeting with von der Leyen and Michel
Meloni then met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. “Italy has always played a central role in the EU. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, skyrocketing energy prices and rising inflation, we need to come together more than ever. We are stronger when we are together,” Metsola said on Twitter. Meloni also met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel.
Meloni talked to Michel about the energy crisis, among other things. “It is necessary to find a concrete solution to the energy crisis and the gas cap as soon as possible,” Meloni said.
In the past, Meloni has been noted for sometimes harsh criticism of the EU. Observers took the fact that she was making her first trip abroad as head of government to Brussels as a pro-European signal.