Meloni attacks Brussels: 'Italy doesn't always say yes'

The words spoken yesterday, October 12, from the stage of the General Assembly of Assolombarda in Milan continue to shake the halls of Roman politics. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni chose an audience of entrepreneurs to send a very clear message to Brussels: "Italy does not sit at the European table to always say yes."

This is a sharp attack against European regulations and constraints, accused of harming the national entrepreneurial fabric. This position marks a decisive return to a markedly sovereigntist rhetoric, historically embedded in the DNA of Fratelli d'Italia, and is creating tensions within the governing majority.

According to analyses, behind this sudden flare-up of anti-European sentiment lies a precise internal positioning strategy. Meloni aims to shield her right flank in view of future electoral competition, curbing internal rivalry and defusing political threats that center their critique on the European Union as their core issue.

Sovereignism, that is, the defense of national sovereignty against supranational rules and institutions, is a historical position of Brothers of Italy, the party of Giorgia Meloni. This stance has often clashed with the more pro-European approach of her government allies, particularly Forza Italia, a traditionally pro-European party founded by Silvio Berlusconi.

Tensions between these two approaches have existed for a long time but become more evident as electoral deadlines approach. Although the next general elections are estimated to be around November 2027, the competition for hegemony within the center-right coalition never stops. Each leader seeks to gain and maintain consensus among their own electoral base.

Meloni knows that a significant portion of the Italian electorate and the business world is increasingly impatient with the environmental (green) and bureaucratic rules issued by the European Commission in Brussels. By raising the tone against these "diktats," the prime minister aims to strengthen her position, while simultaneously countering the rise of figures within the right who could erode her support by leaning on a more radical Euroscepticism.