All posts tagged: Giuseppe Conte

Italy’s opposition sees its chance to beat Meloni. But it needs a leader, and a plan. – POLITICO

Italy’s opposition sees its chance to beat Meloni. But it needs a leader, and a plan. – POLITICO

Impromptu alliances Campaigning against Meloni’s judicial reforms was an easy rallying point for the opposition, as they could all pile on the prime minister for attacking independent state institutions. In Rome’s Piazza Barberini on Monday night, opposition leaders and activists from several centrist and leftist parties gathered to celebrate a result few had considered likely just weeks earlier. Supporters waved party flags and chanted as leaders from across the political spectrum shared a stage in a rare display of unity. But the fraternity shown on the piazza masked deeper divisions: The coalition that came together to defeat Meloni in the referendum remains far from agreeing on a common national program, or a shared candidate for prime minister. The on-again-off-again grouping often diverges sharply on issues such as military spending and support for Ukraine, as well as economic policy, with a significant gap between the radical populist left and the more centrist Democratic Party.   Schlein argued on Wednesday that the opposition must focus on concrete proposals. “We can’t just be against the government, we have to …

Meloni and Macron postpone their first high-level summit – POLITICO

Meloni and Macron postpone their first high-level summit – POLITICO

The planned summit in Toulouse, first reported by POLITICO, was meant to be a major display of Franco-Italian friendship and to mend the troubled transalpine relationship by gathering the two leaders and key ministers to discuss common policy priorities. France and Italy haven’t held a high-level bilateral summit since 2020, when then-Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met with Macron in Naples. The Toulouse summit would be the first one since the signature of the Quirinale Treaty between Rome and Paris and since Meloni’s election. Macron and Meloni have so far clashed on a range of topics spanning from migration to the rule of law. Tensions flared again last Thursday, when Macron criticized Meloni for for saying that the killing of 23-year-old far-right activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon last weekend was “a wound for the whole of Europe.” Meloni said she was “surprised” by Macron’s reaction, clarified that she didn’t mean to interfere with France’s internal affairs and, in return, rehashed previous spats, such as when the French government said it would monitor rule of law in Italy days after …

Italy’s Meloni doubles down on law and order – POLITICO

Italy’s Meloni doubles down on law and order – POLITICO

“We felt that same indignation — we saw Turin violated,” Carretta explained, but “restricting the possibility to demonstrate does not strike me as the best response.” The images from the Jan. 31 violence spread on social media, with both sides accusing each other of brutality. In addition to the policeman struck with a hammer, a photographer alleged he was assailed by officers for taking pictures of one of their colleagues. According Italo Di Sabato, coordinator at the Osservatorio Repressione, a civil society organization that promotes studies on repressive governance, the security decrees serve a specific purpose: “The Meloni government’s main action [is] an exercise in propaganda around the word ‘security’.” While Meloni says she is working toward her idea of a state that “defends those who defend us and that restores security and freedom to citizens,” Di Sabato said her security package was actually an attempt to stir up a “perception of insecurity” across the country. Based on the interior ministry’s own data, homicides were down 15 percent in 2025 compared with 2024, and ISTAT …