Meloni and his party see Vox’s alliance with Orban as a “betrayal”

Vox’s departure is considered by the Brothers of Italy and their leader as a “betrayal”, particularly painful because of its symbolic value. There have been countless conversations between the two sides. Meloni always defended Santiago Abascal, despite the fact that some political leaders attacked the Brothers of Italy for their “neo-Franco alliance”. This came at a great political cost for Meloni. It is now understandable that she feels hurt in human and political terms. The leader of the Brothers of Italy is silent for the time being, but according to the Italian media, the Prime Minister and those close to him believe that Abascal has made a serious mistake: “The day Orbán goes to the Kremlin, Vox joins his group: unspeakable » . But according to the first Italian newspaper ‘Corriere della Sera’, Santiago Abascal’s decision is an issue that goes beyond personal relationships: “It confirms that the shift to the right in the European elections is causing the emergence of extremist and anti-NATO groups . ». In Italy, the League has become even more radical, if that is possible.

Salvini pressure

The Italian prime minister is forced to face pressure from his ally, Vice President Salvini, who wants to get him into difficulties in Italy and Europe. Salvini has delivered countless blows to Meloni in recent weeks, expressing delight at Abascal’s decision: “This is a very important signal. “The opposition against von der Leyen and the Socialists is growing.” Antonio Tajani, second vice president of the Government, has responded to Matteo SalviniThe decision has been undermined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the leader of Forza Italia, Santiago Abascal, who said: “The Patriots for Europe, where Vox has now also entered, are irrelevant because nobody wants to trust them.”

The words of Tajani, leader of Forza Italia, integrated into the European People’s Party, have not pleased Salvini, who has speculated that the European group that Orbán is forming could gain shape: «We will have to wait until mid-July to see who is irrelevant or relevant. The Hungarians, Austrians, Czechs, the Spanish of Vox and the Dutch, Belgians and Portuguese are also interested. The Patriots for Europe group will be formalized on Monday (the outcome of the French elections could be crucial). “We are seriously considering the possibility of becoming part of the third group of the European Parliament.” This would weaken Giorgia Meloni, because the group of European conservatives that she chairs would no longer be the third party in the Strasbourg parliament, after the European People’s Party and the Socialists. Meloni is therefore irritated with Orbán, who is clearly an adversary, first due to his political friendship and now due to his ally with Putin.

Negotiations on support for von der Leyen

It seems clear that the new political platform, especially if Marine Le Pen joins it, as Matteo Salvini hopes, reduces the space for the prime minister on the right. Or perhaps, as some Italian leaders say, it will be easier for him to deal with and negotiate with the European Commission without Putin’s friends such as the Hungarian prime minister. Likewise, various Italian media highlight that, paradoxically, Vox’s decision could favour Giorgia Meloni in her relations with Brussels. In this sense, some media emphasize that Vox’s distancing could represent a useful opportunity for the Brothers of Italy, at a time when Giorgia Meloni is negotiating with Ursula von der Leyen to vote for it on July 18 in the European Parliament (its 24 MEPs could be decisive) in exchange for obtaining a powerful commissioner in the new European Commission.

The distancing of Vox and her confrontation with Matteo Salvini could also serve for Meloni to make a certain clarification on her path of moderation and rapprochement with the European People’s Party, which has sought to draw the Italian brothers to its position. Until now, Giorgia Meloni was able to use two tones and two measures to manage her position in Rome and Brussels. But now she will have to adopt positions with fewer, clearer and more difficult contradictions.