Diplomacy: Scholz and Meloni: friendship despite differences

diplomacy
Scholz and Meloni: friendship despite differences

Olaf Scholz together with Giorgia Meloni shortly after his arrival in Rome. photo

© Michael Kappeler/dpa

The fears that the ultra-right Italian Prime Minister Meloni could pose a threat to Europe have not yet been confirmed. Chancellor Scholz gets along surprisingly well with her.

Despite some differences, for example in asylum policy, the governments of Germany and Italy want to further expand their cooperation. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed on Thursday in Rome that German-Italian government consultations should take place in autumn of this year for the first time since 2016. Then an action plan to deepen the relationship between the two countries should also be adopted, Scholz announced.

In the struggle for a common asylum policy in the EU, Scholz called on all member states to show solidarity and be willing to come to an agreement. “Any attempts to either leave the problems with someone else or point them to someone else will fail.”

Meloni is no longer allergic to Germany

Meloni, who leads the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party, took office in Italy in October. Fears that she could pose a threat to European cohesion were not confirmed in the first few months of her term of office. Unlike before she took office, she has surprisingly been EU-friendly as Prime Minister and has a good relationship with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Meloni was already in Berlin for her inaugural visit in February. At that time, Scholz had declared that he also wanted to cooperate closely with the new Italian government. Meloni, who had sharply attacked Germany as an opposition politician, was already adopting a conciliatory tone and didn’t really want to remember an earlier statement that she was “allergic” to Germany: “I have no idea when I should have said that ‘ she said at the time.

Scholz calls Italy a “reliable friend”

Plenty of pleasantries were also exchanged during the Chancellor’s return visit to Rome. Scholz thanked Meloni for the “warm welcome” and emphasized “how close and trusting” the relationship between the two countries is. “Italy is an important partner and reliable friend for us,” he said. Meloni thanked her guest for the “fruitful exchange” and praised Scholz for his recent, clear statements on the Ukraine war. She smiled warmly at the Chancellor.

Two German ships with refugees arrested

There are differences between Scholz and Meloni, among other things, in asylum policy. The Italian Prime Minister wants to reduce the number of migrants coming across the Mediterranean and, if possible, prevent them from crossing in North Africa. With her measures, she repeatedly causes harsh criticism. Recently, for example, Rome arrested two German ships of volunteer sea rescuers because they had not followed the new, strict rules of Meloni’s government.

According to Meloni, the two ships – the “Sea-Eye 4” in Ortona and the “Mare*Go” on the island of Lampedusa – were not an issue during the conversation. Instead, the Italian head of government underlined how Italy had been saving people in the Mediterranean “rather lonely” for months. In 2023, as of Thursday, Rome has counted more than 53,600 boat migrants – in the same period last year there were almost 21,250. Italy is doing an exceptional job, said Meloni. “The big challenge is doing this work together.”

Government consultations in Germany in autumn

However, differences of opinion do not prevent the two from intensifying relations between the two countries. The resumption of government consultations after a seven-year break is a clear sign of this. These are meetings of the heads of government and several ministers from both sides, which only take place with particularly close partners or countries that are particularly important for Germany, such as China, India or Brazil.

The last meeting with Italy took place in Maranello in northern Italy. The next one is now planned again in Germany. Then an action plan to deepen relations between the two countries should also be decided, which has been planned since the end of 2021 when Mario Draghi was still Prime Minister. It is still unclear which topics will be covered.

dpa

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