Bilateral in Brussels between Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni , the first officer after the two informal talks in Rome and Sharm el Sheikh - which perhaps comes at the best time for Italy.
The discussion on the sidelines of the European Council lasted about an hour and a half, after five months of frost between the two. No word on what they said but Macron, overwhelmed by the storm over the disputed pension reform, needs shores up on his European issues. Namely nuclear power, the common response to migration, an ad hoc fund for clean technologies and the revitalization of the Union's competitiveness.
For Meloni there is a triple objective: to maintain the - highly critical - point on the excessive ideologization of the Green Deal, to defend himself from the hawks on the reform of the Stability Pact which will only be born in April and to relaunch the battle on migrants. And on two of these three battles, the bank of Paris, for Italy, is essential.
In short, medium and long-term challenges and positioning. The meeting was set for after dinner, at the end of a series of debates between Ukraine, the Net Zero plan, the Stability Pact, energy and migrants.
"On migrants, I expect steps forward from the EU but I can say that I am satisfied with the draft conclusions", was Meloni's debut . In reality, the conclusions do not mark any turning point but reaffirm the need for rapid implementation of the Commission's Action Plan. More can be done for Italy. Already in the panel on Ukraine, with the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres present, Meloni explains that the war has caused a "geopolitical shock" not only on the Eastern front but also on the Southern one. Destabilizing the Sahel - with Wagner's contribution - and creating a "perfect storm" in the Maghreb, where Tunisia is in danger of blowing up.
And, not surprisingly, the premier returns to a point dear to Italy: the World Bank, the IMF and the EU are invited to do everything possible to disburse the funds in Tunis. " If Tunisia collapses completely, there is a risk of a human catastrophe, with 900,000 refugees ", Meloni said – according to sources – speaking at the European Council.
As regards migrants, "we need to implement the Dublin regulation and strengthen the borders", underlines the Dutchman Mark Rutte. The Med countries, Italy in the lead, reiterate the need for common actions to prevent departures and a serious application of the principle of solidarity. Also asking for more European funds. Ursula von der Leyen, at dinner, illustrates the operational progress made by the Commission when, in the afternoon, a technical analysis circulates from the Council offices which accuse the measures put in place of "vagueness".
(Unioneonline/D)
