Meloni: 'The EU cannot elude security and competitiveness'

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni received Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at Palazzo Chigi.

"We agree that today more than ever the big issues that Europe cannot afford to evade are the security of its citizens and the competitiveness of its production system," Meloni said in joint statements after the meeting with Kristersson at Palazzo Chigi. "Europe must have the courage to work concretely to consolidate the European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance in terms of strategic complementarity with the American one."

"Efforts are needed to lay the foundations for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine", which will happen "only if Kiev is given adequate security guarantees to ensure that it does not happen again, and that European nations that feel threatened can feel safe", Meloni added.

"We need to spend more but also implement investments. The choice of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to exclude defense spending" from the Stability Pact "is the first step and I think other solutions should follow", Meloni explained in the joint statements after the meeting with Kristersson, at Palazzo Chigi.

"I want to thank Ulf for the work we do together to develop innovative solutions, and also because Sweden is one of the countries that are supporting the position of the Italian government in front of the European Court of Justice on the issue of safe countries. And also because it supports the Italy-Albania protocol because the issue of safe countries is crucial, not only for Italy, not only for the Italy-Albania protocol: it is crucial to be able to carry forward a more effective European policy on migrants".

"I have always said and I believe that these security guarantees must be achieved in the context of the Atlantic Alliance - Meloni added - because I think that this is the best framework to guarantee a peace that is neither fragile nor temporary, so that there is no longer the risk that Europe could fall back into the drama of war. The other solutions, as I have already said, seem more complex and frankly less effective".