She added, however, that she would not like to work with other members of Meloni’s Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) caucus which includes Spain’s Vox and Poland’s Law and Justice parties.
Von der Leyen, launching her bid to be re-elected European Commission President for the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), added that she had a “completely different approach” from Meloni’s regarding gay rights.
Italy is the only western European country to have voted against a declaration for the promotion of European policies in favour of LGBTQIA+ communities presented by the Belgian presidency to the EU member states earlier this week.
Meloni argued in favour of the traditional family and against gender theory in schools and surrogacy at Vox’s Madrid summit of right-wing parties Sunday.
“I’m working very well with Giorgia Meloni, like all the heads of State and government, that is my job,” former German defence minister von der Leyen told a Eurovision debate of the top candidates to head the EC after the June 8-9 European elections.
As for future alliances in Europe, she said “we’ll see who the pro-Europeans are, and she (Meloni) clearly is, and the anti-Putins, and she has been very clear on this, and the pro rule of law parties”.
Von der Leyen, who has worked with Meloni on EU migrant deals with Tunisia and Egypt, added that “those who respect these criteria, we offer to work together”.
She added that Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and Alternative for Germany, who are in another right-wing caucus, wanted to “destroy Europe”.
ANSA
