Meloni convinces Trump. 'Soft' line on military spending at 5% of GDP. Success of the prime minister on migrants with Merz's yes
Trump and Meloni (Photo Lapresse)
Moderately satisfied. Satisfied, actually. This is how government sources at the highest levels, very close to the Prime Minister, describe Giorgia Meloni 's state of mind and feelings the day after the NATO summit and on the day of the European Council.
The Prime Minister achieved the goal of getting the Italian line passed with Donald Trump on spending on armaments at 5% of GDP by 2035. A decisive step that took place on the first evening at the table with the US President, with Mark Rutte and with the Head of State of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The plan will be gradual, with 3.5% to be spent on traditional defense systems and the remaining 1.5% for all other items concerning security , with a review clause until 2029. No forcing, no acceleration and therefore also no tension with the League, on the internal front, which has never looked favorably on Brussels' rearmament.
The key point now is to obtain a guarantee fund from the EU, on the model of the Invest EU program, to stimulate private investments in the sector. This is the key point according to Melonians because it will allow the economy to be started, also creating new jobs, but without weighing on the Italian public budget and therefore without having to cut on important fronts such as health, school, transport, welfare etc...
A sensitive issue that Meloni is called to forcefully reiterate, even more so after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that he had obtained a waiver to be able to maintain his spending levels at 2%. Government circles contest this interpretation, recalling that Madrid has signed exactly what Italy has signed .
And that is why more than one member of the majority did not appreciate Trump's statement on Spain, which will pay for this " great refusal " with an increase in American duties, because the tycoon's attack ended up doing Pedro Sanchez a favor, who, passing himself off in his homeland as a pacifist who opposes the White House, shores up his fragile majority by satisfying its most radical part.
And ultimately the Spanish question becomes an indirect assist also for the secretary of the Democratic Party Elly Schlein who had an easy time asking Meloni to "do as Sanchez". But beyond these verbal skirmishes, Meloni as usual continues to focus on the essentials.
On the tariffs front, despite the unpredictability of the US president, Meloni is dealing directly with the tenant of the White House , as she said in Parliament without making everything public in the media but working behind the scenes - to promote a lasting and fair agreement between Europe and the US, and therefore also and above all in the interest of Italy and our economy.
Regarding immigration, a topic discussed today in Brussels in the now customary pre-Council meeting, Meloni is very satisfied with the fact that Friedrich Merz 's Germany has joined the group of 14 EU countries that have embraced Rome's line on the repatriation of irregular migrants and on the Albanian model. Other states - the EU Council announced - have already made it known that they want to join, a testament to the success of the initiative.
So let's continue like this, with the line reiterated today on immigration from repatriation centers in non-EU countries (a path opened by Italy) and also shared by Keir Starmer 's United Kingdom, even though it is not part of the Union. In short, Meloni - always well advised by her sister Arianna - will return to Rome with good, if not excellent, results for Italy. In the face of criticism from some oppositions, with the PD, M5S and AVS in the lead.
Affari Italiani
