“Assault on EU seats”. The Pontida pact between the sovereignist leaders

ROME — Pontida continues. The Patriots group that materialized on the Pratone stage is not enough. Salvini, Orbán, Le Pen they will work more closely together, in a sort of permanent control room. Objective: to counteract the policies of Ursula von der Leyen and of the Commission that is about to set sail. But above all, raise your voice, make yourself heard, attack, break the sanitary cordon that Brussels has erected around the tough and black people of Europe. The Northern League leader took charge of the coordination initiative, which should also involve the Dutch Wilders.

In the mud with Orban

by our correspondent Francesco Merlo

07 October 2024

Pontida, in the view of the Italian deputy prime minister, as the baptism of a broader political operation, to go beyond the photo opportunity and the catwalk for the benefit of the cameras. The finger is pointed at Brussels. But the political repercussions will inevitably also be on the government in Rome. The coordination of the Patriots, a sort of sovereignist international, will end up turning into a thorn in the right side of Giorgia Meloni.

Matteo Salvini called it, with all the emphasis required, the “Holy Alliance of the European peoples”. What is certain is that the axis will try to make an impact in the European Parliament: it is the third group in terms of members, with 86 deputies. The Patriots need to force their hand to obtain roles and command positions, if necessary raising the level of conflict with the EU institutions. This has already happened with the appeal to the Court of Justice of the Union, presented in recent days by the “Patriots for Europe” to denounce the alleged discrimination against them and ask to cancel the appointments voted on in the commissions after the June elections. According to them, there were several violations of Parliament’s rules. The so-called cordon sanitaire would clash with article 219 (“The diversity of Parliament must be reflected in the composition of the bureau of the commissions”). On the other side, beyond the stamped papers, there are the leaders who unite against the “system”. Salvini attacking the Italian judiciary (“If they condemn me, they will condemn an ​​entire people”), Viktor Orbán wearing his helmet to attack European “bureaucrats”, threatening to send thousands of migrants to their offices.

The electoral results in Germany and Austria bring grist to the mill of the continental right. The AfD is not organic to the group, while the FPÖ is. But the political message launched by Pontida is that the European institutions can no longer ignore sovereignist requests, denying vice-presidents or commissioners of Parliament, presidents or vice-presidents of commissions.

There is no shortage of distinctions within the group. The attitude of the French is softer and more conciliatory towards European leaders. It is no coincidence that Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella limited themselves to sending video messages to Pontida. The institutional ambition of the Rassemblement national clashes with the extremism of Salvini and Orbán.

After Sunday’s event, the deputy prime minister thinks about his trial. His parents say that he is almost hoping for a conviction in the first instance at the Open Arms trial in Palermo. If the court were to really sentence him to a few years in prison, Salvini could fuel his campaign “in defense of the borders” and continue to wear the role of the victim, gaining support. Maybe to the detriment of FdI. It’s the score he’s always preferred, after all. Although Giulia Bongiorno suggested that he give up for now the demonstration against the judges which had already been announced for 18 October in the Sicilian capital, coinciding with the defense speech in the trial in which he is accused.