EU
Meloni on her way to becoming Europe's political queen
Wolfgang Hansson
This is a commenting text. Analysis and positions are the writer's.
Published 19.04
The timing couldn't have been better for Italy's Giorgia Meloni as she hosts the world's most powerful leaders at the luxury Borgo Egnazia resort on the Adriatic Sea.
While the others arrive badly sprained, Meloni rides a wave of success. The right-wing populist with its roots in fascism is increasingly appearing as Europe's political queen.
Quick version
Less than a week has passed since Meloni swept the course with the other parties in the EU elections. Despite being in power for two years, her Italian Brothers party won a landslide victory.
Something she was practically alone with. Almost every other significant European leader lost heavily in a massive wave of discontent.
As the host of the G7 meeting of the world's largest economies, she will emerge as a shining star among a line of men who are all on the ropes in one way or another.
Normally, the preliminary talk would have been about the unpleasantness of world leaders meeting in a country led by a far-right party that has refused to remove the fascist symbol of a burning torch from its party emblem.
When Italy went to the polls in 2018, Italy's brothers received just over four percent of the vote. I covered a press conference in the election campaign where the three right-wing leaders Silvio Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini and Meloni were present. There was no doubt about the ranking. Berlusconi was the prime ministerial candidate, Salvini the up-and-coming star while few noticed blonde Meloni who did not occupy much space. She bided her time.
Rooted in neo-fascism, her party was seen as more extreme than both Berlusconi's and Salvini's.
Today, the reality looks very different. Berlusconi is dead and his Forza Italia lives a waning existence. Matteo Salvini finds himself playing third fiddle. Meloni is the superstar.
Chameleon
By assuming a role as a political chameleon, she has succeeded in the art of presenting herself at home as a staunch opponent of the EU, migration and measures to reduce climate emissions.
At the same time, she has taken a very pragmatic position towards Europe where she does not work against the EU but to change the Union from within. She says yes to the arms deliveries to Ukraine, even though she has traditionally been a Putin friend.
At EU summits in Brussels, she has shown great diplomatic tact. Where everyone expected to meet an Orban copy, they have instead met a reasonable and charming woman. She also has an excellent relationship with President Joe Biden.
At the same time, Meloni is in the process of changing the constitution to give herself more power, taking over parts of the public service and she has reached agreements with a number of countries to outsource the processing of asylum seekers or completely stop migration to Italy .
When she appears before Italian voters, she makes no secret of the fact that her plan is for the far-right and right-wing populist parties in Europe to take over power. But she knows that a militant external stance scares away many, not least in the rest of Europe.
Therefore, she saves on slogans in international cooperation and instead tries to build alliances.
Want to be a bridge
Right now, she is keeping the French far-right's Marine Le Pen on a leash by not responding to her invitation for organized cooperation in the EU Parliament. She is more concerned about the relationship with the European Commission leader Ursula von der Leyen, who constantly praises Meloni.
Italy's prime minister knows that she can gain far more influence if she works with Leyen's large conservative group, the EPP, in the European Parliament than if she allies herself with other extremists such as Le Pen. She wants to become the bridge between the extreme right and the traditionally conservative parties.
Meloni is smart. Dangerously clever.
I've already seen comparisons being made between her and Germany's former Chancellor Angela Merkel. A little exaggerated, perhaps, since Italy is only the EU's third largest economy and Meloni can therefore never have the same decisive leadership role as a German chancellor.
But the fact that a far-right leader is mentioned in the same breath as Merkel shows that Meloni is on her way to becoming Europe's political queen.
The contrast becomes especially clear when she welcomes the other G-7 leaders.
Rishi Sunak who in just a few weeks is almost guaranteed to no longer be Prime Minister of Great Britain. His Conservative Party is horse lengths behind Labor in the opinion polls.
Joe Biden, who is behind in the opinion polls ahead of the presidential election in November. Ideologically, Meloni is closer to Trump than to Biden.
Fumio Kishida, increasingly questioned by his own party, could lose his job as Japan's prime minister this fall.
Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, goes from crisis to crisis.
Ideal attention-seeking alpha males who are forced to see themselves outshone by a single mother from a poor suburb of Rome. A leader with significantly brighter future prospects.
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