EU leaders congratulate Meloni on the swearing

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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels (archive photo): expectation of »constructive cooperation«

Photo: John Thys / AFP

The heads of the European Union have congratulated Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the swearing-in.

"Congratulations to Giorgia Meloni on her appointment as Italian Prime Minister, the first woman to hold this office," wrote European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Twitter.

She counts and looks forward to "constructive cooperation" with the new Italian government.

Meloni, party leader of the far-right Fratelli d'Italia, will govern in future with the conservative Forza Italia and the right-wing populist Lega.

EU Council President Charles Michel also congratulated Meloni on Twitter.

"Let's work together for the good of Italy and the EU," he wrote.

In her congratulatory tweet, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, recalled the “enormous challenges” facing Europe.

"We help our citizens and support Ukraine by remaining united and determined," she said.

Europe needs Italy.

Together we can overcome any difficulty.

The handover of office between Meloni and the outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi will take place on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. in the Palazzo Chigi, the seat of government near Parliament.

This is followed by the first meeting of the Council of Ministers.

The right-wing coalition led by the FDI secured an absolute majority in both chambers of parliament in September's elections.

The FDI received 26 percent of the vote.

hey/dpa