Meloni is angry, but failure of the Right in Brussels is her fault

So much for all the hype about the rise of the European Right. The same groups, the same anti-national political players that have been calling the shots during the last decades continue to do so today. Hopes were high. But, in the end, the picture looks unchanged.

Italy’s Prime minister Giorgia Meloni was expected by some to become the new EU kingmaker in place of French President Emmanuel Macron. Not only has this not happened, but so far it appears she does not understand how to wield decisive power in Brussels.

The centre-right European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR) and the liberal Renew Europe group are currently neck and neck in the race to become the third strongest group in the European Parliament. ECR may manage to surpass Renew Europe by a few seats – especially if pro-European federalist party Volt opts to join the Greens. But this does not translate into considerable political leverage.

Last Monday’s meeting among the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Renew Europe is déjà vu. This grand alliance, which was supposed to be toppled by the ascendant national conservatives, is as alive and powerful as ever.

EPP, S&D and Renew bigwigs may not have reached an agreement at this stage, but what is for sure is that the rise of the right-wing parties in the recent European elections has had no practical impact on appointing the new leaders of the European Commission or the European Council.

This is not a mistake of the voters, but a mistake of the leaders. If leaders of right-wing parties could only sit down and agree to the fact that their combined power would be a game changer for Europe, then things would be different. Βut they cannot. So things are the same.

Meloni, in particular, deserves much of the blame. If she had welcomed Viktor Orban’s Fidesz to the ECR, her group would now without contest be the third biggest in the European Parliament. Instead of appearing angry because she is left out in the cold, she would be in a much better position to promote her agenda.

The Italian PM appears to have  given in to a combination of sweet talking and threats from the European establishment. On the one hand, Ursula von der Leyen and Manfred Weber openly courted her before the elections.

On the other hand, Italy’s debt and media environment can at any moment be employed by the EU to strong-arm Meloni.

As a result, the Italian PM ended up snubbing both Marine Le Pen, who invited her to discuss the creation of a right-wing “supergroup,” and conservative patriarch Viktor Orban. Now, instead of finding herself in a conclave of the decision makers, she has been side-lined. Rather than leading a bigger cause, she now just aims at small gains for Italy.

It feels like a bitter joke. Now we must watch the same European establishment politicians and bureaucrats doing the same things all over again. Illegal immigration, demographic substitution, the Green Deal, war mongering and the gender cult will once again be imposed on us top down. We voted Right, but Meloni and other right-wing leaders proved to be too weak and self-absorbed to lead.

Grazie tante, Giorgia.