Italy: What is Giorgia Meloni’s assessment after six months in power?

Since being appointed head of the Italian government on October 22, Giorgia Meloni has used herself to put on a good show in Europe. If his attacks on EU policy are now moderated, the president of the Council maintains a clear stance on illegal immigration.

“In Europe, they say we are worried about Giorgia Meloni. And what will happen? The party is now over and Italy will defend its national interests”, these were the words of the candidate of the Fratelli d’Italia party on September 12. Meeting in Milan.

Thirteen days later, the youth minister in Silvio Berlusconi’s fourth government between 2008 and 2011 emerged as the big winner of the referendum. On October 22, 2022, Giorgia Meloni was appointed head of the Italian government.

For six months, the council’s new president has worked, often with a closed face, to meet the challenges facing the Transsalpine country after the political turmoil caused by the resignation of his predecessor, Mario Draghi.

Settlement

During the election campaign, Giorgia Meloni has long defended a very hard line on immigration, believing that “an Italian population” should be preserved with the aim of limiting the share of immigrant children in the total population.

Thus, Fratelli d’Italia, the leader of the Nationalist Party, showed in his program that he was strongly opposed to land ownership in order to stem the flow of irregular immigration. As soon as she came to power, the first female head of the Italian cabinet moved from words to actions.

Between October and November 2022, 234 migrants aboard the humanitarian ship Ocean Viking were prevented from disembarking in Italy. They were then returned to the port of Toulon in France, creating a diplomatic row between Paris and Rome.

A few months later, on February 26, 2023 to be precise, more than sixty migrants died when a boat capsized near the village of Steccato di Cutro, located in the province of Crotone in Calabria.

The head of the council, accused of not acting quickly enough to save migrants, explained that “since the beginning of this government, we have continued to save all the people we can save when we know they are in danger.” The act of those speculating these deaths today speaks for itself after raising the illusion of immigration without rules.”

At the same time, when Georgia Meloni came to power, migrants were not prevented from crossing the Mediterranean. In fact, according to the statistics providedItalian news agency SirBased on official data from the Italian Ministry of the Interior, as of April 17, 2023, the country has already received 34,124 migrants in one year.

A stunning increase compared to 2022, when only 8,642 people landed on the peninsula during the same period. Also, 6,434 migrants have arrived in Italy via the Mediterranean since the beginning of April 2023, up from 3,929 a year ago and 1,585 in 2021.

To cope with the exceptional increase in the number of migrants, the government of Georgia Meloni, on Tuesday 11 April, decreed a migrant emergency for a period of six months. With this, the executive wants to “provide more effective and faster responses to flow management.”

Therefore, if this practice allows Italy to provide solutions with adequate standards for immigrants, this in a short period of time, it eliminates on the other hand the “residence permit for special protection”. It, introduced in 2020, was able to save migrants whose mental health was deemed “severe” and prevent deportation.

European union

Giorgia Meloni, known for her Eurosceptic views, appears to have changed her “perspective” after the Italian legislative elections. On March 8, 2014, the day he was appointed president of the Fratelli d’Italia, “The European Union needs Italy more than Italy needs the EU. We say this to deaf Germany: Italy must leave the euro,” the leader of the nationalists said in his address to Brussels last November 3. He announced during the first visit that he wanted to “give a signal of our willingness” to cooperate with the European Union and protect our national interest.

Nevertheless, relations between Rome and Brussels remain tense, due to delays in the implementation of Italy’s rescue plan in the Transsalpine country, Europe guaranteed under Mario Draghi. But for Palazzo Sigi’s tenant, the project’s setbacks are “not the result of this government’s choices”.

As the first beneficiary of the European rescue plan, Italy will collect 191.5 billion euros by 2026 if it fulfills numerous objectives and implements sometimes unpopular reforms, according to AFP.

On the European side, Brussels’ concerns relate specifically to Rome’s desire to finance the renovation of a football stadium in Florence and the construction of a sports center in Venice, with European funding.

Another dispute with Brussels is that the union of the Italian right (Fratelli d’Italia, Forza Italia and Lega) plans to extend for at least another year, until the end of 2024, the concessions granted to private beaches, a decision, however , censored by the Council of State.

War in Ukraine

In response to the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the EU imposed economic sanctions against Russia from March 17 of that year, initially targeting 21 Russian figures by banning them from traveling to the EU and freezing their financial assets.

Considering these to be “a big mistake for the Italian and European economy”, Giorgia Meloni announced in an interview on Italian radio on November 11, 2015. Republic of La : “Today, I choose Putin, and I believe Obama is the worst president in American history on international policy”.

Comments reiterated by the president of Fratelli d’Italia on April 7, 2022 During an interview with the Italian channel Rai1 “It is certain that Europe will pay more for sanctions than the US, but I am sure that we will not run the risk of an energy blockade”.

But since coming to power, the Council president has had to revise his copy by supporting Ukraine with economic, military and humanitarian aid.

Incidentally, on the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, Giorgia Meloni said in an audio message from Kiev, where she met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, “Ukraine is not alone and will not be alone, because it also defends the values ​​of freedom. Democracy (…). To achieve a just peace.” It is our duty to strive. The free world owes it to Ukrainian women and men.

“We cannot allow this, it is our duty to strive for a just peace. The free world owes it to Ukrainian women and men,” he stressed, adding, “Italy is on their side.”

Inflation is falling

According to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (Istat) on March 31, inflation has fallen to 7.7% in Italy in recent months, down from 9.1% in February.

This “improvement” is particularly explained by the slowdown in energy prices, while the prices of unprocessed food products have accelerated their progress, Istad explained.

Although inflation in Italy is higher than in the euro zone, it is expected to slow to 6.5% this year, according to Bank of Italy projections from January 2023.

To cope with this difficult period, the government of Giorgia Meloni has taken measures to help families and businesses cope with the higher cost of living, especially in the energy and health sectors, for 4 billion euros.

Among these, VAT on gas has been reduced to 5% and concessions on gas and electricity bills have been extended to low-income households.