Mission accomplished with Fitto, Italy's role recognized- PM

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 17 - Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday told the Lower House that the appointment to the European Commission of Italy's Raffaele Fitto as an executive vice president with the brief for cohesion and the NRRP, recognized Italy's central role.
    Meloni said the former Italian European affairs minister is a "politician of value, esteemed in Italy and in Europe" and "we can recognize how the role is adequate to the weight of our nation in Europe, confirming Italy's centrality".
    "It is not only an honorary title but a concrete tool that will allow to supervise and coordinate strategic sectors like agriculture, fishing, the economy of the sea, social housing: Italian sensibility can contribute to a pragmatic approach, overcoming the ideological and dogmatic one" of the past few years, said the premier.
    Meloni also told the Lower House ahead of a European Council on December 19 that it was necessary to have a pragmatic approach with the new administration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
    "It is indispensable to maintain a pragmatic, constructive and open approach towards the new Trump administration, using areas of potential and fruitful EU-US cooperation, and try to prevent commercial diatribes that wouldn't benefit anyone", said the premier.
    On Syria, the premier said Italy is ready to dialogue with the new Syrian leadership, as part of shared evaluations and actions with European and international partners, following the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad's regime.
    "The fall of Assad's regime is good news, rightly celebrated by the Syrian population after over a decade of civil war.
    "The rebel forces that have established themselves are heterogeneous, they have a different provenance and potentially contrasting interests", Meloni said in her communications to the House.
    "There is obviously concern for the future of the nation.
    "Italy, the only G7 nation to have an open embassy in Damascus, is ready to dialogue with the new Syrian leadership, obviously in a context of shared evaluations and actions with European and international partners", said Meloni.
    The premier also said a directive regarding repatriations and the concept of safe countries could not be postponed any longer and called for the implementation as soon as possible of a new Pact on immigration and asylum.
    "We consider as undelayable a review of the directive on repatriations and of the concept of safe country, as we consider important to move up as much as possible what has been provided for by the new Pact on immigration and asylum, also with the aim of finally shedding light on an issue that was the object of recent judicial measures of an ideological flavour which, if confirmed in their basic philosophy by the EU Court of Justice, would risk compromising, at least until new EU rules come into force in 2026, the repatriation policies of all member states, a concerning and unacceptable perspective that it is necessary to prevent with determination", said Meloni.
    On December 19, EU leaders are set to meet in Brussels to discuss Ukraine, the European Union's global role, the Middle East, migration and foreign policy issues, among others.
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to attend the meeting. (ANSA).