Draghi endorses Meloni in exchange for a pro-European commitment

Two days after the victory of the far-right in the Italian elections, Giorgia Meloni and Mario Draghi would have reached an agreement to obtain the approval of Europe. The former prime minister would act as an adviser, trying to direct relations with Europe, and Meloni undertakes not to touch three fundamental pillars for the European Union right now: support for Ukraine in the war with Russia, NATO membership, and continuity in economic policy.

The news, advanced by the Italian newspaper The Republic, points out that the former Italian Prime Minister would have contacted Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz and Úrsula von der Leyen, to offer guarantees on the policies of the leader of the Brothers of Italy and reassure Europe about the pillars that will continue to guide government action.

To do this, Draghi would have proposed these three commitments to Meloni, who would have promised to comply with the demands. Thus, the new Italian government undertakes to continue to help Ukraine, even at the military level; a continue to join NATO seamless and no longer make unexpected turns in budgets already approved, with the aim of control public debt.

As revealed by the newspaper, Meloni and Draghi have been talking for days to make the government transition as smooth as possible. And although these three pillars – sanctions against Russia, NATO membership and control of public debt – have been supported by Meloni throughout the political campaign, are not consensual within the coalition and it is not clear whether Berlusconi or Salvini will approve this deal.

In addition, it was Meloni herself who moved away from a pro-European position a few days before the vote. “The free ride in Brussels is over”, he said a few days before the elections. “I have good relations with Orbán and I think that a rebalancing is needed with respect to the Franco-German axis,” he stressed. However, once elected as leader of the Government, it seems that Meloni would be willing to moderate in order to avoid the foreseeable European isolation that she would otherwise suffer, and Draghi, on the other hand, would be willing to endorse her in Europe in the name of the national interest.

Internal conflict

Meloni will now have to manage the foreseeable internal conflict that this agreement may generate. In an interview with the same newspaper this Tuesday, the spokesman for the Brothers of Italy in the Chamber of Deputies, Francesco Lollobrigida, assured that his formation wants to reform the Constitution to review the principle of primacy of European Union law about the national “We do not pretend to touch its fundamental values, but the world is no longer the one of 1948. (…) It is beautiful, but it is 70 years old”, declared Lollobrigida.

Another of the demands of the Brothers of Italy in this hypothetical future revision, and on which they have insisted in the campaign, is that Italians can elect the President of the Republic: “We need a rule that gives citizens the power to choose. And this time we must act quickly because we do not want to repeat the experience of last January, when Sergio Mattarella was forced to make an encore due to the inability of the parties.”
Lollobrigida hides himself from criticism in that they are not the first to advocate a modification of the supreme law, which was already done by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to try to eliminate the Senate.

In relation to the principle of sovereignty of community law, the far-right deputy comments that “it is also the subject of debate in other countries.” “In Germany -he explains-, the Constitutional Court affirmed that, between the two normative systems, always prevails the one that best protects the German populationa concept that should be the subject of reflection”.

I support Zelensky

Lollobrigida, reports La Reppublica, is preparing a dossier with these proposals for amendments to the Constitution, which he hopes will end up materializing whatever the formula. “One can be found as long as we reach the finish line,” he says, convinced that part of the opposition would agree.

Asked about the position of the Brothers of Italy on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lollobrigida replied that he does not believe it is “necessary to demonstrate” his “Atlanticism” or his “Western position” or his “condemnation” of Russia. But she points out: “Let’s not hide that both NATO and the EU need reforms.”

It remains to be seen how Meloni will be able to combine his agreements with Europe and Draghi with the most radical part of his government.