Fitto, a senior figure in Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, is reportedly going to be nominated for the role.

This would put him in charge of overseeing the EU’s post-pandemic Recovery Fund.

The appointment would vindicate Meloni’s assertion that Italy will have an important post in the new EU executive.

Her assertion came despite FdI MEPs voting against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen getting a second term at the helm in June’s EU elections.

Meloni was irked that the Conservative ECR group FdI belongs to, and which she chairs, was left out of the negotiations for the EU top jobs.

On the other hand, the Greens, which was also left out of those negotiations, voted in favour of von der Leyen’s re-election.

“Ursula von der Leyen was only elected in July because she got our votes and not those of the extreme right,” said Greens Co-Chair Thierry Reintke.

“This is why the Commission should not suddenly move to the right.

“Italy has the right to propose its commissioner, but proposing an ECR politician to be part of the Commission’s leadership would deliberately undermine July’s democratic, pro-European coalition.”

ANSA