Premier Giorgia Meloni has backed Mario Draghi’s warning that the European Union risks sliding into irrelevance. The PM was speaking at the CL conference in Rimini.
Speaking at the Rimini Meeting of Catholic group Comunione e Liberazione (CL) on Wednesday, Meloni said the EU is failing to respond to global challenges.
“The EU is increasingly condemned to geopolitical irrelevance, incapable of effectively responding to the competitiveness challenges posed by China and the US, as Mario Draghi rightly pointed out,” Meloni said.
She added that she had voiced similar concerns for years. “I agree with many of the criticisms I’ve heard regarding the EU’s current situation so much that I’ve made them so often over the years, to the point of being harshly criticised even by those who are now clamoring for them.”
Managing illegal migration
On migration, Meloni vowed to resist any judicial or bureaucratic obstacles. “Any attempt made to prevent us from managing the phenomenon of illegal immigration will be rejected: there is no judge, politician, or bureaucrat who can prevent us from enforcing Italian law, guaranteeing the safety of citizens, fighting the slave traders of the third millennium, and saving human lives.”
Israel response out of proportion
Meloni also addressed the Gaza conflict, saying Israel’s response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks had gone too far. “We did not hesitate for a single minute in supporting Israel’s right to self-defense after the horror of October 7th, but at the same time, we cannot remain silent now in the face of a reaction that has gone beyond the principle of proportionality, claiming too many innocent victims and even involving Christian communities.”
She condemned the deaths of journalists in Gaza after five reporters were among 22 people killed in an Israeli strike on a hospital Monday. “We condemn the unjustifiable killing of journalists, an unacceptable attack on press freedom and on all those who risk their lives to report the tragedy of war.”
Meloni contrasted her government’s humanitarian work with opposition motions on Gaza. “We reaffirm Italy’s role in this crisis, we are the leading non-Muslim country for medical evacuations from Gaza. There are those who write motions and those who save children; I am proud to be among the latter.”
