Meloni votes no to von der Leyen: the reasons for a surprise choice

In the end the hard line prevailed. Giorgia Meloni decided to vote against the reappointed President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. A choice that puts Italy in opposition, together with the patriots of Matteo Salvini, Viktor Orban and Marine Le Pen, and that until the very end was the subject of confrontation between the premier and the bigwigs of her party. But why did Meloni decide for the no vote?

Officially from Fdi they let it be known that the programmatic lines indicated by von der Leyen in the morning did not contain convincing indications. The confirmation of the 'hard' line on immigration, the reference to the external dimension dear to the leader of Fdi and not even the announcement of an ad hoc Commissioner for the Mediterranean were not enough, as was the accompaniment of the Green deal to a parallel plan on competitiveness and the strengthening of European Defence. All positions that for many observers should have pushed Meloni to give her consent. But the truth is that content (as always) counts yes but only up to a certain point.

It is no coincidence that Fdi was the only delegation not to reveal its choice until the very end. Indeed: to reveal it only after the ballot had already been completed. From the numbers, in fact, comes the answer. It was the 53 deputies of the Greens, who confirmed the yes vote before the start of the voting. Therefore Fdi's possible votes would have been additional but not "decisive" for Ursula's election. Meloni thus preferred to deploy her 24 deputies on the 'no' side believing that the price to be paid to her right would not be compensated at the negotiating level. Now of course Matteo Salvini apparently has one less weapon against the PM, who cannot be accused of 'treason'. But it is a short sighted view that risks isolating Italy. At least in Europe. Meloni has certainly taken this into account. The premier is looking at what is happening on the other side of the Atlantic and is preparing for Donald Trump's arrival at the White House, thus taking away from Salvini (but also from Orban) the exclusive relationship with the probable future US President.

A risky move, however, because in Europe, it is the relationship with France and Germany that has the main impact on our economy, and certainly this relationship - which already did not shine - has deteriorated further. The one who comes out of it bruised is certainly Antonio Tajani. The Forza Italia leader worked for the agreement until the very end. So did Fdi minister Raffaele Fitto, who immediately after von der Leyen's speech emphasised the more positive aspects. All the others, however, remained silent. Fitto, however, remains the main candidate for the role of Commissioner for Italy for now. With which portfolio, however, will be understood later.