Meloni's FdI voted against von der Leyen's re-election

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 18 - The MEPs for Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party were among those who voted against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen getting a second term at the helm of the EU executive on Thursday, government sources said.
    The European Parliament re-elected von der Leyen with 401 votes in favour, 284 against and 15 abstentions, with seven spoiled papers.
    She needed 360 votes to be re-elected.
    It had been uncertain until the vote which way the FdI MEPs would go, although one of them, Nicola Procaccini, had said the Conservative ECR group FdI belongs to and which Meloni chairs would give the national delegations within it the freedom to choose how to vote.
    The premier was furious that the ECR was left out of the negotiations for the EU top jobs.
    But there had been speculation Meloni might have gotten her MEPs to vote for von der Leyen and give 'external' support to the new EU executive if she got policy concessions and Italy were given a Commissioner with an influential post.
    Von der Leven had a meeting with ECR representatives this week at which a "structural collaboration" between the group and the incoming executive was ruled out.
    Meloni was reportedly looking for the new Commission to adopt a tougher stance on migrants, with special focus given to the Mediterranean, and for changes to the Green Deal, with a more gradual approach to the ecological transition.
    The Commission chief and the Italian premier spoke on the telephone late on Wednesday, sources said.
    As expected Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani's Forza Italia (FI), which is part of von der Leyen's European People's Party (EPP) party, voted in favour while fellow Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini's League voted against.  (ANSA).