Deputy Premier, Foreign Minister and
centre-right post Berlusconi Forza Italia (FI) leader Antonio
Tajani on Wednesday came out against European People's Party
(EPP) leader Manfred Weber's support for a continued alliance in
Europe between the EPP, to which FI belongs, and the European
Socialists and Democrats, as well as the Liberals.
Tajani said he would prefer an alliance replacing the Socialists
with the European Conservative and Reformists (ECR) group led by
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and also featuring Vox of Spain
and Law and Justice of Poland.
"My wish is an alliance in Europe between the popular party, the
conservatives and liberals, then we will talk about it in the
EPP," said Tajani when asked about Weber's statement that, in
any post EP election talks on alliances, "the starting point
will be (continued) cooperation with socialists and liberals".
Tajani added: "However, we have to wait for the election result
to understand".
Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) party are FI's senior partner
in government in Italy along with the rightwing League party of
Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, who sits
in Strasbourg in another rightwing group, Identity and Democracy
(ID), featuring France's National Rally of Marine Le Pen, and
which has just broken with Alternative for Germany over a
leader's defence of the SS.
Hungary's rightwing Prime Minister Viktor Orban is another major
player on the European right, He is expected to join the ECR
after leaving the EPP under duress.
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