Fitto's appointment: a strategic victory for Meloni in the new EU Commission

The formalisation of the nomination of Raffaele Fitto as executive vice-president of the European Commission with responsibility for Cohesion and Reforms is unquestionably a win for Giorgia Meloni. The Prime Minister, despite the 'no' to Ursula von der Leyen's encore, has obtained visible recognition from the President of the European Commission herself. A result that displaces those who until yesterday - starting with the opposition parties - were denouncing the risk of "isolation" for Italy due to the positions taken by the Prime Minister.

But this is the most striking aspect. There are others that are no less relevant. The Prime Minister has kept her distance from the extremist positions taken by Matteo Salvini and the League, which has merged into the sovereignist group of Viktor Orban and Marine Le Pen, consolidating her image as the leader of the governing right. At the same time, it has succeeded in overturning the practice that until the last parliamentary term provided for the division of the main government posts in the EU. Between the majority parties, i.e. the EPP, the Socialists and the Liberals.

For the first time, a member of the opposition - the Conservative Reformist Group (Ecr), of which Meloni is the leader - holds the important position of executive vice-president.

This was the main objective of the Prime Minister, who from the outset claimed a weighty role for Italy as the founding country and third economy of the Union. For the prime minister, it was also no surprise that von der Leyen chose to entrust Fitto with the delegations on Cohesion and Reforms and not instead with the Economy, which until now had been managed by Paolo Gentiloni. The confrontation with the president of the commission has never stopped. And certainly Fitto himself, who has a consolidated relationship with Brussels and in particular with Vdr, played a not insignificant role.

Now awaiting him as for the other commissioners are the audition forks to be held in mid-October. However, there are unlikely to be any surprises. The threats of the socialists and liberals not to vote for the Italian exponent would compromise the entire set-up of the commission on which an agreement was painstakingly reached with the latest surprise of Breton's withdrawal and replacement.