Flexibility on defence spending, Meloni seeks support from Finland, Sweden and Greece

Her voice is almost gone. And the after-effects of the flu that forced her to leave the European Council early also made her skip the experience of a sleigh ride, pulled by reindeer, which are the other symbol of Finnish Lapland along with Father Christmas. It is Santa Claus that Giorgia Meloni finds to welcome (and embrace) along with the Finnish prime minister. Petteri Orpo has called three other centre-right heads of government - in Saariselka there are also the Greek Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Swede Ulf Kristersson - to tighten the coordination between North and South, between the countries that represent Europe's outer borders and that share, despite the geographical distances, the same challenges in terms of security and migrants.

Countries that until a few years ago were not always inclined to talk to each other, that "historically on European issues have often been on very different sides," stressed Meloni herself, in Lapland with her daughter Ginevra, presenting herself almost mute at the summit. Where there was also talk of defence spending on which, for the first time, the traditionally frugal Northerners were not, as Italian sources pointed out, totally closed. Of course the discussion did not go into practical details, whether to proceed by means of Eurobonds or by decoupling expenditure from the Stability Pact (as Italy has been asking for some time), but no one doubts any longer that there is a need to increase resources 'by providing new instruments' that do not compromise the states' public accounts. But the discussion in front of the fireplace (all without shoes as is customary in these latitudes) has allowed the issue to be addressed from positions that are 'less distant. It's a start,' the Italian delegation explained.

And the format, which is new, will have new meetings in the coming months, with a stop in Greece most likely. The 2% target, which Italy among others has not yet reached, was also the subject of reflection as the issue of defence spending was addressed in its three dimensions, national, European and NATO, with the leaders agreeing on the need for these three items to 'dialogue better'.

Always with the guiding light of not burdening public accounts. The road is long, and will also be the subject of the next extraordinary European Council in February. And it was also to prepare for that meeting by weaving new internal alliances that the summit was conceived, which also saw the four leaders together with EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas in the cabin, 260 kilometres above the Arctic Circle and just 50 kilometres from the Russian border.

These are the grave hours of the Magdeburg attack, with the issue of security becoming even more central, stressed the Italian prime minister, reiterating her 'utmost solidarity with the entire German people'. Protected by the Finnish polar night (the period is one in which there are never any daylight hours), the prime ministers of Finland and Sweden, fresh from joining NATO, introduced the issue of security and Moscow's hybrid war along the 1,340 km of border shared with Finland. They also probed marine interconnections, an issue that unites the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. Meloni and Mitsotakis then spoke about the specificities of the southern shore, introducing the issue of migrant management. The Italian Prime Minister emphasised the strategic value of the external dimension policy and the value of new partnerships with African countries. And she reiterated the importance of resolving the issue of safe countries, also in light of the Commission's desire to bring forward the return directive to early 2025. While Greece also shifted the focus to relations with Turkey and shipping issues. Discussions will continue at a leaders-only dinner before the summit closes without a final document, given the informal context, but with statements.