/s3/static.nrc.nl/images/gn4/stripped/data116987643-cab254.jpg "Abortion, gender identity and sexual orientation were excluded from the final text of the G7 summit in Italy")
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (47 years old) had a wonderful week. On Sunday evening, her far-right Fratelli d'Italia party won 28.8 percent in the European elections, remaining the largest party in the country. On Thursday, the prestigious G7 summit kicked off in Puglia, southern Italy, with its host, Meloni, in front of the eyes of the world.
The three-day summit in Borgo Egnazia, which concluded on Saturday, is the highlight of Italy's year-long G7 presidency. The Italians organized the meeting in the middle of summer in a beautiful Italian seaside resort. The dinner was held in a medieval castle in Brindisi, a stunning seaside town.
On Monday night, following her landslide election victory, Meloni already made clear why she is eyeing this international appointment in Puglia. “I am proud that this nation will soon be represented in Europe and in the G7 by the strongest government ever,” the Prime Minister said. She first appeared wearing shirt sleeves, carefully wrapped in a tightly coordinated dress Casual look.
The Italian Prime Minister shows self-confidence. And for good reason: of all the G7 leaders, she is the most powerful politically. Conservative British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who received a very warm welcome from Meloni, appears to be on his way out of the United Kingdom, which will hold elections in early July. US President Joe Biden is fighting a difficult presidential campaign. The leaders of the largest and second-largest economies in the euro zone, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, suffered painful electoral defeats on Sunday.
Controversy over abortion
Meloni's victory tasted even sweeter, especially because of Macron's blow. Shortly after her appointment as prime minister, the French president hosted a dinner for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris. Then he called Schulz, but he passed Meloni. That things were still askew between the two became clear at the G7 summit, where Meloni greeted the French president with a smile that looked more like a frown. And it didn't stop at cold body language: it also included arguments about abortion.
Under Macron, France enshrined the right to terminate a pregnancy in the constitution earlier this year. But with Fratelli d'Italia at the helm, the anti-abortion movement is gaining influence in Italy. This gives anti-abortion activists access to counseling centers for women who want to terminate their pregnancies.
Meloni also succeeded in weakening the final outcome of the G7 summit. Access to safe abortion was included in the final text of the G7 summit in Hiroshima last year, but was left out of the final communique this year. The wording “protection of gender identity and sexual orientation” has also been dropped.
Macron told the press that he regretted the disappearance of the reference to abortion, but that he submitted to “the choice of the Italian people.” In response to a question about Meloni's greater political influence since Sunday, he said that “the balance of power in Europe has not changed much.”
European nominations round
However, Giorgia Meloni has seen her influence growing in the European Council of Heads of Government, and she seems determined to assert this during the new round of appointments to top European positions. In Puglia, not only Macron but also European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received a wonderful reception from Meloni. Surprisingly, they both gave the impression that they have grown together strongly over the past year and a half. They both support strict European immigration policy.
Von der Leyen wants to remain party leader, and given the CDU's victory, her chances are good. But according to Italian media, Meloni is not looking for a quick reset. Presumably, the Italian first wants to secure a big job for an Italian. The first indication of how the Italians position themselves may appear on Monday, during an informal European Union meeting in Brussels.
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