Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly
Schlein told an ANSA Forum on Monday that the Party of European
Socialists (PES) her centre-left group belongs to will never be
allied at the EU level with the right-wing ECR Conservatives or
the Identity and Democracy (ID) group.
Premier Giorgia Meloni is chair of the ECR, which her Brothers
of Italy (FdI) party belongs to, while Deputy Premier and
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini's League is in the ID along
with Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN).Geert Wilders' Dutch
Freedom Party and the Austrian Freedom Party, among others.
"There will never be alliances with Meloni's Conservative group
or with the Identity and Democracy group, which Salvini is a
member of," Schlein told the Forum ahead of upcoming European
elections.
"This is a commitment shared in Berlin with (German Chancellor
Olaf) Scholz and the other socialists.
"We have our candidate (Nicolas) Schmit to replace (European
Commission President) Ursula von der Leyen.
"We are fighting for the Socialist group to be the biggest group
in the European Parliament.
"We want a federal Europe," she continued.
"One which completes a path of integration stranded halfway amid
national selfishness".
She said that PD was in favour of EU having "strategic autonomy"
on defence "within the Atlantic Alliance".
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