Rotondi (FdI): "The vote in defense of Ursula is another step by Meloni toward the People's Party."

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" Giorgia Meloni's evolution in recent years has been that of someone who has insisted on forming a conservative thought that, however, could at times have points of contact, and also of distance, with the People's Party. And I believe that the vote in defense of Ursula von der Leyen is a further point of contact, a step that Brothers of Italy is taking towards the EPP ." Gianfranco Rotondi says this from the perspective of someone who has long been predicting this rapprochement with the European People's Party family: "At the time of the People of Freedom, Meloni was a member of the European People's Party, she comes from that history." And towards that horizon, the longtime Christian Democrat exponent elected in the last general election on the Brothers of Italy side argues to Il Foglio, she seems destined.

On Monday, ECR co-president Nicola Procaccini announced that the Brothers of Italy (FdI) party would vote no in today's vote on the motion of no confidence in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over the Pfizergate scandal. "I cannot speak on behalf of the entire group, but I can speak on behalf of the two-thirds of my ECR colleagues who did not sign the motion, not because they disagree with some of the reasons for censure in the text, but because, like me, they believe this motion is a mistake," Procaccini explained. The motion was presented by a Romanian MEP from the Alliance for Romanian Unity (AUR) party, which is a member of the ECR. Therefore, FdI's no vote and Procaccini's accusations against his group colleagues did not go unnoticed, as the MEP added: " Unfortunately, some people like to lose, both at home and here. I don't like that ." At the Conservatives' meeting in Strasbourg on Tuesday, those who were present reported that the tone was rather heated. Indeed, although Procaccini had spoken in the European Parliament chamber clarifying his voting intentions, journalists' requests for comment were met with denials from the Brothers of Italy party in both Brussels and Rome. "I'd prefer not," was the unanimous response. This was because some parties, such as the AUR party itself and the Polish PiS, would not have appreciated, in Procaccini's words, the provocative invitation to "get the popcorn ready."

As Rotondi, a master of parliamentary dynamics, explains, "Politics is beautiful because it changes. Tomorrow in Avellino we will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the death of my political mentor, Fiorentino Sullo. He used to say: things in politics are only valid when they are said. And it is a foolish exercise to nail a politician to statements made years ago." Applying this lesson to von der Leyen's defense, Rotondi explains, " Meloni highlights an approach that favors personal dynamics and bilateral relationships. And I believe that with von der Leyen, what matters most is a shared understanding for the good of Europe. It can be said that Meloni is a leader who adapts her positions to the interests of the country she is called upon to govern. Just as Berlusconi at the time said he knew how to be concave and convex when necessary ." But as mentioned, the rapprochement with the EPP is also entirely a question of origins. " After all, the Conservatives were in the European People's Party, and it was Brexit that pushed them out. For this reason too, I would expect some strong gesture, for example, from the German CDU, an explicit invitation to the Conservatives to move forward together ."

The fact remains that some believe today's vote, with Brothers of Italy and Forza Italia opposing the motion of no confidence in von der Leyen and the League voting in favor, will once again highlight the divisions in a majority already strained by ongoing internal tensions. Is that the case? "No," Rotondi replies with a certain self-assurance. "During the five-party coalition, the Socialists governed the regions in governments that were opposed to the national government. It's as if Forza Italia were now governing with the left in Lombardy and Veneto, something unimaginable for any current government. But in Europe, it's a different story: there, parties can have very different trajectories and directions."

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