Meloni: 1 per cent growth in 2026. At odds with Draghi over the EU

Growth, Europe, Ukraine, energy costs, the rise of the far right: in an interview with the editor of Il Foglio, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni covered a wide range of topics.

On the subject of economic growth, the Prime Minister said that ‘despite a very difficult and uncertain environment, the Italian economy is holding up well and the figures for the first six months of the year could lead to 1 per cent growth in 2026, in line with – if not exceeding – that of the eurozone’. In April, the government had forecast growth of 0.6 per cent for the current year, but last month the UPB released a more optimistic estimate of 0.9 per cent.

As for Europe, Meloni emphasised that ‘the way the European Union operates has proved inadequate for tackling the major challenges of our time. I am pleased that we are now all in agreement that a change of direction is needed, because when we used to say this, we were branded as anti-European. However, I do not believe that the solution lies in seeking even greater European integration, or in doing away with unanimity, or in a federal Europe that supersedes nation states; and so I disagree with Mario Draghi. Together with the family of European conservatives, I have always believed that the exact opposite is needed: namely, a confederal model for Europe, in which Member States retain broad sovereignty more effectively over matters of strategic importance.

In the interview, Meloni explains why she is not prepared to form an alliance with those who vote against defence of Ukraine. ‘Giorgia Meloni is certainly not prepared to do the opposite of what she has done so far, or of what she believes in, for political or electoral gain. I am a serious person, and I am not a jack-of-all-trades. Anyone looking for a prime minister who changes their mind depending on the support of this or that party, solely for personal gain, should look elsewhere. And I think I know where, because we’ve been there before.”

Then there is the issue of energy costs? ‘Our heavy reliance on foreign supplies is a structural issue that we have addressed and are continuing to address on several fronts: from diversifying our supply sources – including by accelerating the roll-out of renewables – to a renewed commitment to nuclear power, in particular next-generation nuclear power, which we believe could be the real solution to our energy security, right through to the latest measures to speed up concessions for the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons – we are doing everything in our power to make the country more self-sufficient and bring costs down. That said, it weighs heavily on me that I have not been able to do more for households and businesses with regard to high energy prices, despite having devoted – particularly at the start of this parliamentary term – a significant portion of the available resources to tackling the problem. We will continue to do so during this phase as well.’