2023-08-29 12:32:40
Italy and Greece “do not always agree”, but “there are dossiers on which their interests are historically largely aligned”, starting with the “desire”, especially after the recent proposals by the European Commission, to have a stability “more flexible and more adapted to the peculiarities of each Member State”. This was stated by Vassilis Ntousas, head of European activities of the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund (GMF), in view of Thursday’s mission to Athens by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
A visit full of ideas, in which the migration issue will inevitably be at the center, given the strong pressure that Italy and Greece continue to experience on their coasts. “The implementation of a constructive European solution is certainly a priority for the two countries”, continues the analyst, underlining that Athens and Rome “continue to suffer pressure and criticism on this front and insist on the need for a broad consensus at European level on how to manage and redistribute migrants and asylum seekers”.
Furthermore, Ntousas points out, Italy and Greece “can and are already working together”, both bilaterally and at the European level, also on issues relating to energy, defense and Mediterranean geopolitics.
The GMF analyst therefore deems it unlikely that the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, can play a ‘bridge’ role in bringing the positions of the European People’s Party (EPP) and the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) closer together in view of the elections for the renewal of the European Parliament.
Mitsotakis, recalls Ntousa, in the past “strongly supported efforts within the EPP to draw a much clearer line when it comes to authoritarianism and populism, leading calls for the expulsion from the Fidesz party group of the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban , due to authoritarian tactics”. Since then, the expert insists, the head of the Greek government, confirmed at Maximos Mansion with the “sensational” victory in June, “has been clear on the need not to give ground to the extremists”.
However, with the elections approaching, many centre-right European leaders are considering the possibility of “collaborating” or being “supported” by the more radical right-wing forces, many of whom are part of the ECR, “if that means taking the power”, adds Ntousas, according to which the clear electoral affirmation could attribute to Mitsotakis the role of “central actor” in the way in which the EPP will position itself in the coming months. “We will see how powerful his voice can be within a political family where some key members are actively reconsidering their position on such a critical issue,” he concludes.
#Italy #Greece #allied #flexible #stability #pact