Angelo Amante and Matteo Negri
Italy's Meloni says EU jobs deal ignores voters' will
ROME – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday criticized plans to split up top positions in EU institutions, saying they ignore the victories of right-wing parties in this month's European Parliament elections.
Sources said on Tuesday that Europe's three biggest centrist groups, excluding Meloni's conservative bloc, had reached an agreement on the EU's top leadership posts, including electing Germany's Ursula von der Leyen to a second term as head of the EU's executive commission.
The deal is due to be approved at a European Union summit in Brussels starting Thursday. If approved, it would mark a continuation of the past in which pro-EU forces have retained power despite a surge in support for far-right and eurosceptic parties in European Parliament elections.
“So far we have not seen any willingness to take into account what the people have said at the ballot box,” Meloni told lawmakers, saying negotiations must take into account parties that gained support in the most recent elections.
Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy party is the leading European Conservative and Reformist force in the European Parliament and won the most votes in Italy.
Rightward shifts were also seen in France and Germany, where the ruling parties suffered major defeats.
Meloni said his ECR group, which overtook the Liberals in the European Parliament, should have a major say in personnel decisions.
“The third group today is the group that is not liked by those who make the decisions,” she said, calling the EU a “bureaucratic giant” whose choices are driven by “ideology”.
The top-level employment deal will see former Portuguese prime minister Antonio Costa take over as president of the EU summit and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas take over as EU foreign policy chief, according to people familiar with the matter.
Meloni said this type of deal goes against the original spirit of the European Union.
“The EU is conceived as a neutral organisation, able to give guarantees to all member states, regardless of the political shade of their governments,” she said.
The three main factions in the European Parliament have the votes to pass the bill in the European Council, where EU leaders meet, but the new term of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a Christian Democrat, requires approval by the European Parliament, where she would likely need to broaden her support.
Diplomats said von der Leyen could seek Meloni's support by offering Italy a powerful post in the European Commission.
This article has been generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
