Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she can still work with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen despite Meloni’s party voting against von der Leyen for a second term as head of the EU executive.
“We have cooperated so far and will continue to do so in the future,” Meloni said in an interview with Corriere della Serra.
Meloni’s party, Brothers of Italy, said on Thursday they had voted against von der Leyen in her confirmation vote in the European Parliament for another term as president of the European Commission.
Von der Leyen said “things that we agree with, particularly on immigration,” Meloni admitted— but this was insufficient, she said. “She also said things that both in method and substance did not make it possible for Fratelli d’Italia to vote,” Meloni told Corriere della Serra.
Now that von der Leyen is confirmed for another mandate as Commission president, Meloni will have to work with her to secure a Commission portfolio with some weight for Italy.
In the interview, Meloni dismissed claims that the Brothers of Italy’s vote against von der Leyen could thwart Italy’s chances for a significant portfolio or even an executive vice president position. “I think this reading is surreal,” Meloni said.
The Italian prime minister abstained herself when EU leaders nominated von der Leyen as the new Commission president at the end of June.
It raised doubts about whether von der Leyen could achieve a majority in the vote in the European Parliament. Meloni’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is currently the fourth-biggest political force in the EU legislature.
On Thursday, von der Leyen got support from her European People’s Party, the Socialist S&D, the liberal Renew and the Greens.
Brothers of Italy said it voted against von der Leyen because of the Greens’ support.
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