It has been an uphill path, but finally, Ursula Von der Layen, as newly reconfirmed head of the European Union (EU) Commission, has disclosed the names of the EU commissioners with their respective roles. The biggest sticking point and necessary knot to be untied also in the relations with Italy was related to Raffaele Fitto, former Italian Minister for European Affairs, who has finally become EU Commission Executive Vice President with responsibility for Cohesion and Reforms, as much desired by the Italian government.
"Congratulations to Raffaele Fitto on his appointment as Executive Vice President of the European Commission, with responsibility for Cohesion and Reforms. This is an important recognition that confirms the newfound central role of our nation in the EU. Italy is finally back as a protagonist in Europe. Good luck, Raffaele, we are sure that you will carry out your role very well in the interest of Europe and Italy." These are the first words of the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, proud to have scored an important point in the thorny relations with the EU. Indeed, in the European Parliament (EP) many opposed Fitto, considered as "a far-right exponent," and hence as an ambiguous figure for the unity of the European team.
Namely, the exponents of the European Liberal group expressed their contrariety by referring to the results obtained by the block in the last elections. The socialists also raised multiple doubts about the appointment of the former Italian minister: the first reason was that, despite being a key member state under Meloni, Italy did not reflect a majority in the European composition. Moreover, since Meloni openly voted against the reconfirmation of Von Der Layen at the top of the EU Commission, mutual distrust prevailed and eventually further fragmented the European political harmony. The Greens also initially hindered the choice by perceiving Fitto as threatening the democratic and pro-European coalition spirit. However, after many polemics and careful mediation with the main forces within the European Parliament, Von der Layen finally welcomed Fitto by granting him a notable role.
The European bureaucracy is indeed quite intricate, and the main concern is protecting the internal balance of power and the common interests of the EU. As the main EU executive body, the European Commission is comprised of 27 members representing each country. The election of the President of the Commission is the responsibility of the European Council, which brings together the political leaders of EU member states. Then, the European Parliament, by absolute majority, must confirm the indicated candidate. Based on June European elections results, Von der Leyen, who represents the European People's Party (EPP) as the political force obtaining most of the seats in the new European Parliament, was mandated to lead the Commission for another five years. Hence, on June 27, the European Council proposed to entrust her. On that occasion, Meloni first abstained from the vote and then expressed her opposition in the European Parliament, which supported Von der Leyen with a majority of 401 votes out of 720.
The renewed dynamics, however, have aroused discontent among most Eurosceptics and conservatives, the group to which the Meloni's Brothers of Italy party belongs. Although the new European leading composition pivots on the alliance between socialists, liberals and greens based on a majoritarian principle, taken nationally, the results of European elections signal different trajectories since in some crucial states such as Italy, Germany and France, the right groups have dramatically gained ground. This is mainly intended as a sign of protest against traditional European politics, which entrenches itself behind bureaucratically cumbersome approaches while it increasingly records the distance between the center of power in Brussels and the European social base. It was indeed in this spirit that Meloni followed her own path and opposed Von Der Layen, aiming after all at arising as kingmaker in the EU balance of power and within the EU Commission.
As a matter of fact, the appointment of EU Commission members takes place on the indication of each member state, which is free to propose to the President of the Commission one or more profiles suitable to fill the role of commissioner based on the criteria of competence, European commitment, independence and personal integrity. It is, however, necessary that once elected, the commissioners do not act on behalf of their country but in the name of the European supranational principle and defense of EU common interests. In this case, the 27 member states were supposed to present their candidates by the end of last August. Along with Belgium, which has been engaged in political negotiations to form a new government, Italy was the last country to submit its own candidate. As mentioned, Fitto was a highly debated choice domestically since the Italian political opposition counted on the EU political isolation of Meloni to discredit the government.
In reality, Fitto was a congruent nominee as he also boasts a long political experience and important portfolios in Europe. Politically, he grew up in the ranks of the Italian center-right with the Christian Democracy party and then joined Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia. He was elected as EU MP, and a few years later, he became Minister for Regional Affairs while gradually moving closer to Meloni's Brothers of Italy. After the 2022 Italian elections, he became Minister of European Affairs and obtained the portfolio of the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (PNRR) and of the Cohesion Policy and the South. His appointment as EU Commission Executive Vice President de facto denies who wanted to relegate Italy to a marginal role just because of its government's political connotation. Highly remarkable in this case is Von der Layen’s mediation, which acknowledged the crucial role of Italy in many dossiers. Furthermore, in the current political conjuncture of Europe, it should not be neglected that Italy is socially and politically a stable country, marking a significant difference from some other big EU states, such as France and Germany. Certainly, at a time when Europe is facing major regional and global challenges, avoiding further friction with Rome appears as a wisely calculated move that will eventually bear fruit.
