Meloni to the EU: 'You can't do it alone on energy and migrants'

Italy wants more on the migrant and energy dossiers.

Giorgia Meloni leaves Tirana satisfied for the EU-Western Balkans summit, but reiterates that her government expects a "not only Italian" approach from Brussels to migratory flows, which squeeze the country "in pincers" between the Balkan route and the mediterranean.

You and you reject the European proposal on the gas price cap as "insufficient".

The energy issue was at the center of the "long discussion" with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz: on this front, the prime minister is sure that Italy can "play a central and strategic role", and that it is necessary to "stop the costs of speculation ".

It was one of the three bilateral meetings for the prime minister, who also met the landlord Edi Rama, the Albanian prime minister, and the president of the Serbian Republic, Aleksandar Vucic, on the sidelines of a summit in which she noted "a great desire to Italy" in a troubled region in which Rome wants to play a mediating role.

"We have a great responsibility with the countries of the Western Balkans", she said on the red carpet where, before the family photo, Meloni also exchanged a few words with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

There was only a greeting, before the summit, with Emmanuel Macron, because - he explained - there was no time for face-to-face meetings.

"There will be many opportunities to meet in the next few days, in Alicante on Friday for the summit of the Mediterranean countries, and at the European Council next week", noted the prime minister, assuring that "relations with France continue, regardless of the which makes the press a bit".

Faced with new attempts by NGO ships to land migrants, such as that of the Ocean Viking which opened the crisis with Paris, "the government's position as far as I'm concerned doesn't change - he clarified -. Then I realize perfectly that it shouldn't be approached like that."

For Meloni "it must be resolved with an approach that cannot only be Italian", because so far the redistribution of migrants has been "more presumed than real".

The principle of action, it is his thesis, must be "the defense of the external borders of the EU": for migrants, flow decrees are needed and they should not be managed in the same way as refugees, as "an ideological left" has done.

On the other hand, Meloni acknowledges the merit of having extended the southern contribution reduction until 31 December 2023 to the EU Commission, waiting for the judgment on the maneuver to arrive from Brussels, already criticized by Bank of Italy on the measures on cash and payments with the Pos. "The news for the government is that on the big voices of the maneuver there were no substantial criticisms from Bank of Italy", the comment of the premier,

On the internal front, Meloni also explained that he "shared" the words of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, on the need to "honor" the commitment with the EU on the Pnrr.

The executive "is working incessantly" and "it is important that these resources reach the ground", underlined the leader of FdI, accompanied by the observation that "with 120 billion euros of investments and the increase in raw materials estimated at 35%, there is a problem".

From Tirana also comes the stamp on the justice reform proposal declined by the minister Carlo Nordio: "It is a priority reform, the minister's approach is that of the government. explained by defining herself as "a guarantor in the celebration phase of the trial and a justicialist in the execution phase of the sentence".