As expected Deputy Premier and
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his Forza Italia (FI) party
will vote for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
to get a second term, after she presented her political
guidelines in the EU parliament on Thursday, while fellow Deputy
Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini's League said it
will vote against.
It remains uncertain what the MEPs from Italian Premier Giorgia
Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party will do.
FdI MEP Nicola Procaccini said the Conservative ECR group FdI
belongs to and which Meloni chairs will 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 is speculation Meloni may get her MEPs to vote for von
der Leyen and give 'external' support to the new EU executive if
she gets policy concessions and Italy is 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.
"I will never let the extreme polarisation of our societies
become accepted," von der Leven said in her speech on Thursday.
"And I will never accept that demagogues and extremists destroy
our European way of life. And I stand here today ready to lead
this fight with all of the democratic forces here in this
House".
The Commission chief vowed to stick "to the targets of the
European Green Deal with pragmatism, technology-neutrality and
innovation" and to "put forward a new Clean Industrial Deal in
the first 100 days" of the new EU executive.
"We will enshrine our 90% target for 2040 in our European
Climate Law," she said.
"Our companies need to plan their investments for the coming
decade already today.
"And this is not only about business. For our young people,
2030, 2040, 2050 is around the corner.
"They know that we have to reconcile climate protection with a
prosperous economy.
"And they would never forgive us if we do not rise to the
challenge. So, this is not only a matter of competitiveness, but
also a matter of intergenerational fairness. The young people
deserve it"
Von der Leyen also said she would appoint a Commissioner for the
Mediterranean and propose a new agenda for it.
Tajani said FI, which belongs to von der Leyen's European
People's Party (EPP), would vote in favour, saying the speech
featured "many of Forza Italia's proposals".
Paolo Borchia, the head of the League delegation in the European
Parliament, said Salvini's party would vote against "without
ambiguity".
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