EU appointments: why Meloni decided on the rift and the scope for mending fences

The agreement comes shortly before midnight. The European Council gives the green light to Ursula von der Leyen's candidature for a second term as head of the Commission, elects the socialist Antonio Costa as President of the Council and entrusts the Estonian liberal Kaja Kallas with the role of High Representative for Foreign Policy.

The decision on top jobs is made but without Italy's yes.

Giorgia Meloni voted against Costa and Kallas and decided to abstain on von der Leyen. The rift came about in a matter of minutes but was the result of a political choice that had been pondered for days and resulted in the PM's harsh speech in Parliament the day before. Despite the attempts to mend fences brought forward above all by the Populars, Meloni reiterated "the opposition to the method followed by the negotiators" of the PPE, Socialists and Liberals. The risk of 'isolation' for the premier is a false problem. So is the fact that Italy has many pending issues in Brussels, starting with the infringement procedure for excessive deficit and the imminent negotiations on the manoeuvre. A harsh attitude towards Italy 'would be shameful', anticipates the Prime Minister.

But it must be said immediately that we are still in the first half of a game destined to last until 18 July, when the plenary session of the European Parliament will be called upon to confirm von der Leyen's candidature. Palazzo Chigi sources explain the abstention against von der Leyen's encore also by the need to take into account the "different evaluations between the parties of the government majority", that is, between the deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, who evokes a "coup d'état", and Meloni's other deputy, the forzista Antonio Tajani, who as vice-president of the EPP openly supports Ursula's second mandate at Palazzo Berlaymont.

But the main reason is another. The same sources close to the President of the Council are keen to let it be known that they are waiting to 'know the programmatic lines' that von der Leyen will present and above all the opening of 'a negotiation on the role of Italy'. The game is at two now. Between Ursula and Giorgia. Von der Leyen must win an absolute majority of 720 MPs to be elected, so she must reach at least 361. The vote is secret and the risk of franchi tiratori is very high. At the moment, the majority supporting von der Leyen - Ppe, S&D and Renew - is close to 400 votes. Too few to be comfortable. The presidential candidate needs a parachute. Opening up to the Greens could set her against a significant part of her own party, that part that looks to the right, starting with the EPP president Manfred Weber who, together with Antonio Tajani, continues to plead the cause of opening up to the Conservatives, the group to which Fdi belongs. Meloni with her 24 deputies can provide that parachute.