Former President of the European Parliament defends the success of the right-wing coalition in the elections, reminding that his country is “a consolidated democracy”
Antonio Tajani walks with his hands in his pockets across the square that opens in front of the Palazzo di Montecitorio in Rome, where the Italian Chamber of Deputies is located, patiently greeting the journalists he meets and addressing each of them in their own language. He alternates Italian, his native language, with French and Spanish with equal skill, to the point that a surprised reporter from his country bit him: “But how many languages do you speak?” “It’s 30 years in Brussels”, he replies by explanation.
Former President of the European Parliament and twice Vice-President of the European Commission, Tajani, the current ‘number two’ of Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi’s party, makes his debut: in last Sunday’s elections he was elected deputy, a position which he had never played before in his long political career.
With a huge interest in international relations and a valuable agenda of contacts around the world, Tajani is one of the names under consideration to become foreign minister of the new government led by Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Fratelli d ‘Italia party. There will also be a representation in the cabinet of the conservative coalition’s third partner, the League of Matteo Salvini.
– Meloni’s win has sparked a political ‘earthquake’ outside Italy over concerns over the far right’s success. Should we keep calm?
– Italy is a democracy in which Italians vote. It is not a dictatorship and no one can impose anything on others. The problem is that most media links help. Nor is public television in favor of the center right. In my opinion there is no problem with what is happening in Italy. I am surprised that they are putting us in trouble and not what happened in Spain, when a party in government, such as Podemos, organizes demonstrations against NATO while the NATO summit is being held in Madrid, organized by the Spanish government itself. The rule should be the same for everyone. If not, we’re talking propaganda. It is not a worrying position on Italy, but rather a political one. But I repeat: Italy is a democratic country, we have had a consolidated democracy for many years.
– Has it been confirmed that Meloni will be the next prime minister?
– I have already worked with two important women, Ursula von der Leyen and Roberta Metsola, and they are both my friends. For me there is no problem with Meloni being the head of government. Plus, it would be best because women are more active. I have known Meloni for many years. She was a minister when I was a European Commissioner and we worked very well together, without any problems. She is a conservative, very pragmatic woman who chairs the European Conservative Party. I am from the European People’s Party, which is not the same, but in this election we shared the same election manifesto. We are different because she means the right and we are the center of the European People’s Party, but since there is a majority law in Italy we have to make agreements and so we sit down to negotiate with the conservatives.
– How are the coalition negotiations going to form a government? Which ministries would Forza Italia like to control?
– It is not a question of power, but of political strategy. For us, relations with Europe and the United States are vital, as are relations with Latin America and Africa. It is also very clear that we have to face the problem with China, which is trying to develop a commercial invasion and take over ports and infrastructure, which they need for the commercial invasion of low-quality products. That’s a problem for us. We have to defend our market. We must, of course, build good relations with China, but if it intends to engage in unfair competition, we must defend Europe, our industries and our products. Steel is one of the sectors where more Chinese danger threatens, as with ceramics.
Source: La Verdad
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