The
Italian people will decide what next, when called to vote for a new government.
That’s how our democracies work. It is however quite clear that one of their potential
choices, Matteo Salvini, is an anti-European Union, for reasons he knows better
than anybody else. He is also an extremist, fully supported by the most reactionary
sectors of the Italian society. Many voters might think that he represents the
kind of leadership the country needs. But there are also large sectors of the
public opinion that see him as the wrong type of choice, someone that can bring
disaster to the country. And that disaster could happen quite soon, it is not
just a question of long term.
From
a European perspective, if Matteo Salvini becomes Prime Minister that is bad
news. He will carry division, xenophobia and ultra-nationalism to the European
debate. Consensus building will become even more difficult than it is today. He
is the enemy from inside. There is no bigger enemy than the one that lives among
us.
He
is also the strongest ally of the EU’s outside enemies. Some analysts mention his
subordination to Vladimir Putin’s money and interests. That is dangerous
enough. Putin’s agenda is to destroy the European unity. But I see an
additional peril. He will become President Donald Trump’s agent within the EU,
in the Council meetings and every time a key decision that might contradict the
American policy is on the table. President Trump is no friend of the EU. If I
were asked to prioritise the outside leaders that are hostile to the common
project, I would start by referring to his name as number one. And I would add
that such antagonism is particularly risky, as it comes from the leader of a
country that has very close ties with Europe and a strong presence in some of
the EU countries, not to mention that it is the most powerful nation on earth. President
Trump and his circle will be making good use of Salvini’s duplicity and
radicalism.
These
are indeed new challenges. They certainly require a different understanding of
the old established practises.
No comments:
Post a Comment