London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Feb 22, 2025

EU’s center-right under pressure to expel Berlusconi over support for Italy’s Meloni

EU’s center-right under pressure to expel Berlusconi over support for Italy’s Meloni

Center-right group leader Manfred Weber is urged to try to stop the far-right Brothers of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, taking over in Rome.

The European Parliament’s main conservative group is facing demands to give Silvio Berlusconi and his party the boot if he supports the far-right Giorgia Meloni leading Italy.

The Forza Italia party, led by the former Italian prime minister turned MEP, is backing Meloni to lead a new coalition government in Rome, following elections held last month.

But a group of German MEPs has written to Manfred Weber, whose center-right European People’s Party (EPP) holds the most seats in the European Parliament, calling for Forza Italia to be ejected from the EPP unless Berlusconi drops his support for Meloni.

“It is not too late to prevent a far-right government of Giorgia Meloni in Italy,” reads the letter, which was obtained by POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook and later published online.

The letter tells Weber that democrats across party blocs have a responsibility to prevent the far right from entering a government in Europe after the success of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party in the election. Establishing a firewall against the far-right has been the convention used in post-war Europe, and especially in Germany, by parties who say they’re trying to protect democracy from those they argue could destroy it.

“Those who ally themselves with the extreme right do not tame them,” according to the three German MEPs — Daniel Freund from the Greens, Katarina Barley from the Socialists & Democrats and Moritz Körner from the liberal Renew Europe. “Those who make pacts with the extreme right help them gain power.”

Fundamental EU values on which the Continent’s peace and democracy rely should not be sacrificed simply to gain power, the letter tells Weber.

“We therefore ask you, as president of the European People’s Party, to communicate to your members in Italy that there must be no EPP participation in a far-right government in Italy,” the letter says. “Should Forza Italia nevertheless agree to form a government and co-elect Giorgia Meloni as prime minister, it must have no future in the pro-European party family of the European People’s Party.”

Secretary General of the European People’s Party Thanasis Bakolas called the letter to Weber “a direct and absolute insult to the democratic will of the Italian people expressed in the recent elections. How would Mr Freund’s, Ms Barley’s and Mr Körner’s constituents respond if an elected MEP from another country questioned their democratic choice?”

Bakolas added: “The coalition that won Italy’s election by a landslide will be judged by the Italian people.” Bakolas said the EPP was “absolutely committed” to Forza Italia “and all it is doing to ensure that Italy’s next government serves the best interests of its people, defends our EU values, stands firm in support of Ukraine and upholds the rule of law.”

In August, Weber visited Rome to express his support for Berlusconi’s party and Meloni’s coalition ahead of the election.

MEP Iratxe García Pérez, chair of the Socialists and Democrats group, also argued that the alliance between Forza Italia and the Brothers of Italy set a worrying precedent and could put “the European project in danger.”

“Be careful who you make friends with,” said García Perez, referring to Meloni and the Brothers of Italy as “neo-fascist.”

Raffaele Fitto, an Italian MEP from the Brothers of Italy, said: “We suggest to our colleague García Perez to seriously question herself on the real and deep reasons behind the clear electoral defeat of the left in Italy.”

It’s not the first time the EPP has faced calls to kick out a member in recent years: The group had long faced pressure to disconnect from Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party over rule of law concerns and attacks on EU figures before it ultimately left the EPP in Parliament last year.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Prison Officer Sentenced for Inappropriate Conduct with Inmate
Good News: Senate Confirms Kash Patel as FBI Director
Officials from the U.S. and Hungary Engage in Talks on Economic Collaboration and Sanctions Strategy
James Bond Franchise Transitions to Amazon MGM Studios
Technology Giants Ramp Up Lobbying Initiatives Against Strict EU Regulations
Alibaba Exceeds Quarterly Projections Fueled by Growth in Cloud and AI
Tequila Sector Faces Surplus Crisis as Agave Prices Dive Sharply
Residents of Flintshire Mobile Home Park Grapple with Maintenance Issues and Uncertain Future
Ronan Keating Criticizes Irish Justice System Following Fatal Crash Involving His Brother
Gordon Ramsay's Lucky Cat Restaurant Faces Unprecedented Theft
Israeli Family Mourns Loss of Peace Advocate Oded Lifschitz as Body Returned from Gaza
Former UK Defense Chief Calls for Enhanced European Support for Ukraine
Pope Francis Admitted to Hospital in Rome Amid Rising Succession Speculation
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, at the age of 83, Declares His Retirement.
Whistleblower Reveals Whitehall’s Focus on Kabul Animal Airlift Amid Crisis
Politicians Who Deliberately Lie Could Face Removal from Office in Wales
Scottish Labour Faces Challenges Ahead of 2026 Holyrood Elections
Leftwing Activists Less Likely to Work with Political Rivals, Study Finds
Boris Johnson to Host 'An Evening with Boris Johnson' at Edinburgh's Usher Hall
Planned Change in British Citizenship Rules Faces First Legal Challenge
Northumberland Postal Worker Sentenced for Sexual Assaults During Deliveries
British Journalist Missing in Brazil for 11 Days
Tesco Fixes Website Glitch That Disrupted Online Grocery Orders
Amnesty International Critiques UK's Predictive Policing Practices
Burglar Jailed After Falling into Home-Made Trap in Blyth
Sellafield Nuclear Site Exits Special Measures for Physical Security Amid Ongoing Cybersecurity Concerns
Avian Influenza Impact on Seals in Norfolk: Four Deaths Confirmed
First Arrest Under Scotland's Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone Law Amidst International Controversy
Meghan Markle Rebrands Lifestyle Venture as 'As Ever' Ahead of Netflix Series Launch
Inter-Island Ferry Services Between Guernsey and Jersey Set to Expand
Significant Proportion of Cancer Patients in England and Wales Not Receiving Recommended Treatments
Final Consultation Launched for Vyrnwy Frankton Power Line Project
Drug Misuse Deaths in Scotland Rise by 12% in 2023
Failed £100 Million Cocaine Smuggling Operation in the Scottish Highlands
Central Cee Equals MOBO Awards Record; Bashy and Ayra Starr Among Top Honorees
EastEnders: Four Decades of Challenging Social Norms
Jonathan Bailey Channels 'Succession' in Bold Richard II Performance
Northern Ireland's First Astronaut Engages in Rigorous Spacewalk Training
Former Postman Sentenced for Series of Sexual Offences in Northumberland
Record Surge in Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Across the UK in 2024
Omagh Bombing Inquiry Concludes Commemorative Hearings with Survivor Testimonies
UK Government Introduces 'Ronan's Law' to Combat Online Knife Sales to Minors
Metal Detectorists Unearth 15th-Century Coin Hoard in Scottish Borders
Woman Charged in 1978 Death of Five-Year-Old Girl in South London
Expanding Sinkhole in Godstone, Surrey, Forces Evacuations and Road Closures
Bangor University Announces Plans to Cut 200 Jobs Amid £15 Million Savings Target
British Journalist Charlotte Peet Reported Missing in Brazil
UK Inflation Rises to 3% in January Amid Higher Food Prices and School Fees
Starmer Defends Zelensky Amidst Trump's 'Dictator' Allegation
Zelensky Calls on World Leaders to Back Peace Efforts in Light of Strains with Trump
×