Meloni’s candidacy for the European Commission defends himself before the European Parliament: “I am here to reaffirm my commitment to Europe” international

Raffaele Fito, an Italian with a pro-European faith, has begun his appearance before the European Parliament to seek its approval as Vice-President and Commissioner of the next EU Executive: “I am not here to represent a party or a government. He spoke about his adherence to European values ​​due to his affiliation with the ultra-conservative Brothers of Italy party and his origins as Minister of European Union Affairs in the cabinet of Giorgia Meloni. These characteristics have led to the decision by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to give Fitts the vice-presidential position in the next Community Executive, one of the most controversial in the European Parliament. , despite his long previous career in Italian Christian democracy before joining Meloni’s party.

With Fitto – and in parallel with the presence of Estonian Kaja Kallas in the other room for scrutiny as a High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy – ​​the session began at nine in the morning. super tuesday Which will end at night with the revalidation of the Spanish Teresa Ribera as First Vice-President of the Community Executive. If lawmakers ratify it, the three of them, plus Frenchman Stéphane Séjourn, Romanian Roxana Minjatu and Finnish Hanna Virkkunen, will be the six vice-presidents of the next European Commission. However there are two components of this sextet that attract the most attention: Fito and Ribera.

The Italian ultra of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group has, most recently, as an MEP, voted against the Recovery and Resilience Fund, which ironically he manages in his country as a European minister. cases. He has said about that vote that it was a different time then and now he will rule in a different direction. He also rejected the European Parliament’s statements against violations of the rule of law in Hungary and Poland and has once again received rebuke for this.

The Italian’s intervention began with a few words of regret and solidarity for the floods in the Valencian Community, something that the candidates have been repeating in all or almost all of their appearances and that has been very present in many of the questions during these days. He then broke with his ideas and his career, including becoming Minister of Regional Affairs and Regional Cohesion with the President of Apulia and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

In his examination, Kallas, who until a few months ago was Prime Minister of Estonia and one of the most outspoken voices against the Kremlin and its colonial war against Ukraine, was criticized by some MEPs from the extreme right and the left, such as Irene Monteiro, Have faced questions. About what victory and peace means in that struggle. “Everyone wants peace, but there is peace and quiet. We want lasting peace,” he said. The nominee for High Representative for Foreign Policy also warned: “The world is on fire, so we have to stay united.” Due to his history, Callas has focused on Vladimir Putin’s war, but after questions from legislators he assured that the Middle East conflict is also one of his great priorities.

The new Commission has undoubtedly turned towards the East and this may further reduce its focus on other regions such as Latin America. Callas defended this Tuesday that the trade agreement with Mercosur must now stop. He commented, “If we don’t sign a trade deal with them, this void will be filled by China.”

Great test for Ribera

The turn of Ribera, the third Spanish Vice President and Minister of Ecological Transition, will begin at 6:30 pm. It is expected to last for three hours. Spanish Women, the leading unit of the social democrats, has been appointed Vice-President for a Just, Clean and Competitive Transition and in charge of the powerful Competition portfolio; This is the second most important post in Brussels after President von der Leyen.

Socialists face the challenge of advancing the green transition and boosting European competitiveness, burdened by pressure from the United States and China, while tackling and controlling digital technology giants. But he faces a tough test from MEPs. Some conservatives are upset by his green CV and the Spanish Popular Party is maneuvering in Brussels against his appointment, arguing that he was responsible for managing the damage that has devastated the Valencian Community.

In principle, it was planned that the first attempt at parliamentary confirmation of the Vice President being investigated this Tuesday would be made after each appearance. But now the option is opening up for this first attempt, which requires the support of two-thirds of the spokespersons of the commissions’ groups to be jointly considered at the end of the day or during the session. According to sources in the parliamentary groups, the following. It is also very likely that the ratification of Hungarian Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi will be included in this package, the only one that has not yet received parliamentary approval of the 20 presented last week.

This change in plans reflects the distrust that exists between political groups. European social democrats are not confident that the populists will support Ribera due to intense pressure from the Spanish PP, which has shown its inclination against Ribera, an attitude that contrasts with the Italian socialists’ quiet support for Fito. The ECR’s ultra-conservative political family, Fitto and Meloni, fear that Italy will face difficulties despite having the support of the European People’s Party (EPP); The Liberals want to ensure their (Séjourné and Kallas) ratification, and the EPP tries every day to demonstrate that it is the largest group in this legislature with the most power and ready to set the pace as it wishes.

Above all, the Commission President, a German conservative, wishes his executive to be ready “as quickly as possible” and without any problems. That is why first he puts pressure not only on his in-laws but also on others. And that’s why he has chosen to cancel many commitments and adapt his entire agenda to what is happening in the European Parliament. Aware that Donald Trump’s return to the White House is a major challenge for the union, with two wars in her neighborhood (the Middle East and Ukraine), von der Leyen wants her second term to end without any delay on December 1. Start from.