Rome – Do not drive the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean apart. The mission of Giorgia Meloni in Brussels, ahead of the European Council on March 20 and 21, is to convince European partners that splitting from the United States is “naive” and “foolish.”
Especially at a ” complex ” time for global dynamics and “decisive” for the future of the entire West. It is unimaginable, she insists, to think that the European Union can make it alone without NATO, “outside that Euro-Atlantic framework that for 75 years has guaranteed the security of the Continent and that in the last three years has allowed Ukraine to resist,” the premier explains in communications in Parliament.
That is why she will propose not to respond to the tariffs imposed by Donald Trump with more tariffs. “I don’t think that would be a good deal,” the Prime Minister said. Italy’s energies will be spent “looking for common-sense solutions” between the United States and Europe, “dictated more by logic than instinct, with a view to mutual respect and economic convenience.” For Meloni, it is “not wise” to fall into the temptation of “reprisals”, which, she warns, “become a vicious circle in which everyone loses.”
As for Ursula von der Leyen’s 800 billion ReArm Europe plan, the premier makes it clear that there will not be resources taken from other spending chapters or additional resources. Italy opposed the possibility of shifting automatically a part of cohesion funds to defence: “It’s a battle we won,” she claims, recalling that member states can voluntarily use a share of cohesion funds, but this will not be the case for Rome. “Italy does not intend to divert a single euro from cohesion resources. I hope that, at least on this, we can all agree,” she says.
Therefore, it is possible to resort to additional deficits compared to what is normally provided in the Stability Pact. Within this framework, Italy will consider whether or not to activate the tools provided by the Plan. “I say this because we can boast, in this historical phase, extremely positive economic and financial indicators, an asset that we do not intend to give up,” Meloni points out. The health of the public accounts is “very good,” she argues, referring to the low level of the spread, stably at least a hundred points below the level recorded when she took office. “This is why I believe it is our duty to also propose alternative solutions to creating new debt,” she explains.
However, with the Plan’s resources, it should not only be possible to purchase weapons, according to the prime minister. Reinforcing defence capabilities means “dealing with many more things than just strengthening arsenals,” she punctuates, all the more so in an era of hybrid threats, when security is a vast subject. Meloni thinks about defending borders, fighting terrorism, and cybersecurity. But also defend the underwater domain, guard pipelines and other energy infrastructure, secure trade routes and food supply chains, and guard the space domain. “All of these things are not done simply with weapons,” she recalls. And without this 360-degree approach, “there is no defence, without defence, there is no security, and without security, there is no freedom because without security we cannot protect Italy, its businesses and its citizens.”
The moment is not easy; the picture is evolving, and certainties are collapsing. But, assures the premier, “With a clear vision, a little courage, focusing only on the really important things, and keeping its national interest as its main compass of reference, Italy has all the cards in hand to get through even this storm.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
