Italy’s premier to step down as head of right-wing group in European Parliament

By Baris Seckin

ISTANBUL (AA) — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday announced her departure as president of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in European Parliament.

“When I was asked to extend my mandate until the European Parliament elections, I accepted,” Meloni said in her closing speech at the traditional Atreju political festival, organized by her party, Brothers of Italy (FdI), in Rome.

“Now that the elections have concluded, I believe I have fulfilled my duty,” she said, adding that the group “deserves to have a president who can deal with it full time.”

Highlighting the stability of Italy’s right-wing coalition government, which was formed in October 2022, Meloni said 2025 would be a pivotal year for implementing key reforms.

While reiterating her commitment to the ECR, Meloni expressed confidence in the group's future. “We will initiate the nomination process, and I believe my friend, (former Polish Prime Minister) Mateusz Morawiecki, will be among the candidates.”

Meloni also highlighted the ECR’s significant growth in recent months, attributing it to their collective achievements.

- Irregular migration, migrant centers in Albania

In her speech, Meloni also addressed irregular migration and the agreement signed with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Nov. 6, 2023.

The deal involves transferring irregular migrants to two centers established by Italy in Albania as part of efforts to combat irregular migration.

“Our fight against illegal migration and human traffickers will continue,” Meloni vowed.

She acknowledged setbacks, including a Rome court’s decision to suspend the first two migrant transfers, temporarily halting operations at the centers, established in October. However, she pledged to overcome these legal obstacles.

Calling the centers in Albania a “deterrent” in the fight against human trafficking and illegal migration, she vowed that they “will work, even if I have to be there every night until the end of my government’s mandate.”

“I want to fight the mafia, and I call on the entire Italian state and all honest people to join me in this effort. I am an honest person, not an enemy,” she said.

*Writing by Efe Ozkan