Brothers of Italy goes international. Party leader Giorgia Meloni, who comfortably leads the race to become the next Italian prime minister, is reinforcing her global credentials as Election Day nears — starting with the reorientation of her party’s Atlantic compass.
- Ms Meloni, who’s also president of the European Conservative and Reformist Party (ECR), has strengthened ties with the Republican Party in recent years. The American connection is now solid, but the same cannot be said of the US establishment. However, her diplomatic machine is shifting gears.
Adolfo Urso travels to Ukraine… The BoI senator and head of Parliament’s Intelligence Committee is heading to Kyiv next week. Officially, he’ll be there in his official capacity, wrote Repubblica. But actually, he’ll also be an emissary of the PM hopeful.
- Notably, the four decrees allowing for Italian arms supplies to Ukraine were also approved by the Committee.
…and the US. Mr Urso’s following stop will be Washington DC (his second visit in three months) to meet with members of Congress. He’ll have a double objective, wrote Repubblica: consolidating ties – as he is favoured to get a post in the next executive – and further ploughing the American soil for Ms Meloni.
Her man in Europe. European relations are Raffaele Fitto’s bread and butter, given his years in the European Parliament and within its biggest party, the European People’s Party. Today he co-chairs the ECR and is one of Ms Meloni’s ambassadors in Europe, especially with the EPP.
- Ms Meloni’s accreditation with the Italian and international establishment began in September 2020. Mr Fitto was instrumental in building an international network of relations with Eastern PMs and key players in the European institutions.
A stopover in the UK? As reported by La Stampa, BoI’s leader is allegedly organising a trip to London to meet with the City’s top management (including representatives from Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Elliot, Fidelity, BlackRock and Bridgewater) and reassure them on the future of Italy. Starting with public accounts.
- Whereas other parties are pushing to issue more debt to combat the looming energy crisis, Ms Meloni opposes this view. In fact, she prefers the line of outgoing PM Mario Draghi, with whom contact is “constant,” Repubblica pointed out.
The institutional mainstay. Guido Crosetto – entrepreneur, co-founder of BoI and president of AIAD, the association of Italian arms manufacturers – is also hard at work. “Those who met him gathered the impression that in the event of an election victory, [Ms Meloni will be] the guarantor of Italy’s institutional continuity,” explained La Stampa.
- The paper also quoted an anonymous analyst, who noted that BoI’s prospective programme closely resembles that of the first Berlusconi government, except for its stronger emphasis on defending national enterprises.
Diplomacy, diplomacy. Also managing Ms Meloni’s international relations are two former diplomats: Gabriele Checchia, former ambassador to NATO and Lebanon, and Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, foreign minister in the Monti government (2011), former permanent representative to the United Nations and ambassador to the United States.
- The former is chairman of the strategic committee of the Italian Atlantic Committee and director of the Fare Futuro Foundation, chaired by Mr Urso.
- The latter is responsible for BoI’s diplomatic relations.
