Italy’s ruling party, Fratelli d’Italia (FdI), led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is opposing the possibility of hosting a future edition of the US Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Italy, which its American organisers had hoped to bring to the country in 2026.
The move by the Prime Minister’s party is surprising, since President Trump has repeatedly expressed his admiration and support for Meloni.
The refusal to hold the conference was reported by the Italian daily La Repubblica, citing senior party sources.
The move comes in the context of a recently released US strategic document on Europe, which Meloni has neither endorsed nor used to criticise European partners.
Geopolitically, the decision signals her attempt to reposition Italy: Maintaining ties with the conservative world while avoiding openly adopting the American administration’s criticisms of the EU, and at the same time securing a stronger and more prestigious role within Europe.
CPAC is a regular gathering of American and international conservative figures, featuring policymakers, activists, and commentators who discuss strategy, policy, and transatlantic political alignment.
In past years, Meloni and several FdI members attended the event, using the platform to network and raise the party’s profile on the international stage. Until 2019, when the party’s support was around 3 per cent, they leveraged these appearances to gain both domestic visibility and international credibility.
Earlier in 2025, discussions and public statements by CPAC organisers suggested the possibility of a first edition in Italy, projected for 2026. They envisioned a multi-day conference with panels on European security, economic policy, and transatlantic relations, bringing together US and other foreign speakers as well as prominent Italian conservative figures. FdI initially appeared receptive.
Today, however, party sources revealed that they would not host the event.
Meloni reportedly weighed the decision personally, mindful of potential backlash from European allies and domestic observers.
The formal reason was concern that the guest list prepared by the American organisers might include figures considered excessively radical or controversial, which could have created both international and domestic pressure on the party.
La Repubblica highlights Slovak President Robert Fico, seen as overly pro-Russian, and Nigel Farage, given FdI’s alliance in the European Parliament with the British Conservatives, Farage’s former party and now one of his fiercest rivals.
Behind this stance, many see a deeper geopolitical calculation: At a moment of growing distance between the US administration, originally an ally of Meloni, and European countries, previously viewed as adversaries, the prime minister avoided openly endorsing US criticisms of the EU while seeking to maintain strong ties with European partners.
In the context of the recently released US strategic document on Europe, party sources told Brussels Signal that hosting the event would have signalled a clear alignment of Italy with Trump’s faction in the US — a step Meloni was unwilling to take. The move thus represents a recalibration of Italy’s position, balancing ties with American conservatives against acceptance by EU leaders.
The decision, while surprising to many, could have been anticipated from the careful way Meloni commented on the publication of the American strategic document.
In her December 5 interview with Italian journalist Enrico Mentana on La7, she refrained from exploiting the US position to attack European partners or call for a policy shift.
Instead, she emphasised that “if Europe wants to be great, it must be able to defend itself” and added that “defence costs money, but it produces political freedom,” framing her caution as a call for European responsibility rather than partisan alignment.
By declining to host the gathering, Meloni and FdI signal a subtle but important repositioning: Engaging with transatlantic networks while avoiding gestures that could alienate European allies, and emphasising that Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own defence.
