Giorgia Meloni slams EU centrists for excluding her from top job talks; rejects

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was reportedly left out of a small group of European Union leaders discussing top jobs for the three EU bodies, namely the European Union parliament, European Council and the European Commission.

According to a report in the Financial Times, during a private dinner late on Monday (June 17) evening, the European Union’s 27 leaders discussed a potential deal to nominate Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as European Commission president, along with three other key appointments reflecting the result of European parliamentary elections. 

The discussions were soured after it emerged that a previous closed-door meeting between six national leaders from the EU’s three largest political parties: von der Leyen’s European People’s party (EPP), the Socialists & Democrats and liberal Renew. These pre-dinner discussions excluded Italy PM Giorgia Meloni’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which finished fourth in the European Union elections earlier this month. 

Meloni then reportedly raged at French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the prime ministers of the Netherlands, Greece and Spain for making her and others wait while they made a deal to be presented to the rest of the EU members.

Meloni then told reporters that “we will not accept a pre-packaged agreement”.

More information will be added soon.