Salvini's campaign to liberate Brussels

Writing for Kosovo Online: Dragan Bisenic, a journalist

Last week, right-wing European parties (Identity and Democracy group in the European Parliament) gathered in Florence and dubbed it a "historic day".

"I believe today is a historic day because the Renaissance of Europe can see the light, which will be based on work and rights. Europeans will have a choice: freedom on one side and fear on the other; rights and work on one side, extremism on the other", the host of the event, Matteo Salvini said.

"Today in Florence, there are friends of Europe, defenders of Europe. Today, in Florence, some women and men will defeat the giant who is the first enemy of Europe: the masonic bureaucratic reality... We are not afraid of it", he added. "For the first time, a united and determined right-center can win and liberate Brussels from those who illegally occupy it for their interests", Salvini emphasized.

This can be considered a traditional gathering held ahead of European parliamentary elections. A similar event took place in 2019 when Salvini's League achieved remarkable success. Under the slogan "Towards a Common Sense Europe!" the first meeting with other European populist parties was held in Milan.

The results of that gathering were more than impressive. The League achieved remarkable success in the European elections, while at the national level, the parties in this group experienced varying degrees of success. A few weeks ago, Geert Wilders won in the Dutch elections, but they faced defeat in Poland, while in Spain, despite being the strongest political grouping, they failed to form a government.

More than a year after the general elections in Italy, Meloni's "Brothers of Italy" party has risen to 29%, while Salvini's League remains stable at 9.3%. The League hopes to gain votes from Forza Italia (7.4%), which is struggling to retain support after the death of founder and president Silvio Berlusconi.

The current forecast for the upcoming European Parliament elections in June 2024 suggests that parties in this group will have significant success and become the fourth, and in the case of major surprises, perhaps the third-largest force in the EU.

After the unexpected victory of Geert Wilders in the general elections in the Netherlands, Eurosceptic sympathizers and members of the "Identity and Democracy" faction pledged to change the political dynamics in Brussels.

"Another Europe without socialists is possible and necessary", Salvini said, who hosted representatives of 14 European parties that make up the "Identity and Democracy" group.

Salvini stated that he and his allies aimed to become the third-largest group in the European Parliament after the European People's Party (EPP) on the right and the Socialists and Democrats on the left. They are currently the sixth-largest group with 62 seats in the EU legislative body out of 705 members.

Matteo Salvini and his League are known opponents of NATO's attacks on Serbia in 1999. The League was the only party in Italy that publicly opposed the use of Italian airports by NATO aviation during the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999. Salvini's party strongly opposed the formation of the so-called 'Kosovo Army' and other unilateral acts by the temporary institutions in Pristina. Similar views were expressed by Marine Le Pen.

"Kosovo is a holy Serbian and Christian land that is the last bulwark against the creation of a new Islamic state in Europe. The Serbs suffered great injustice in the 1990s, and Europe is obliged to correct that injustice", Le Pen said at a pre-election rally in Paris.

Members of the Identity and Democracy group in debates in the European Parliament express these viewpoints, and thanks to them, along with members of clearer left-wing parties, the balance of power in the perception of the Kosovo issue has changed. However, there has been no significant impact on changing the EU's policy towards Kosovo so far. If Salvini's plan to propel the "Identity and Democracy" group to third place in strength in the European Parliament were realized, European institutions would undoubtedly address the demands of this group in a different way.

Claiming to be a part of the "blue wave" - the color chosen by this group for its symbol - Salvini stated that the group's goal was to come in third place and become a decisive factor in shaping the future of Europe. To break the decades-old Brussels alliance between conservatives, socialists, and liberals, he said that after the European elections in June, the "blue wave" should join forces with the center-right in the European People's Party (EPP) or the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR).

This was certainly one of the main ideas of this meeting. With less than a year until the European elections, there is increasing speculation that the European People's Party of the center-right (EPP) could enter into new alliances with newly formed right-wing groups in the next composition of the European Parliament. This could potentially end the decades-old ruling coalition with center-left socialists and democrats.

Salvini offered to mediate between the EPP and the Identity and Democracy group (ID), to which his party belongs. However, the EPP rejected the offer without much ceremony, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, a conservative leader in Italy and a strong voice for the EPP in Brussels, drew a red line.

"For us, it is impossible to reach any agreement with AfD and Mrs. Le Pen's party", Tajani said in an Italian TV show. Tajani hinted that he would be open to making agreements with less extreme European Reformists and Conservatives (ECR), including parties from the right to the far right across Europe, along with the liberal "Renew Europe" group. A coalition between these three groups would have a majority in the European Parliament.

Despite winning 34% of the votes in the 2019 European elections in Italy, the League was excluded from power-sharing agreements in the European Parliament the last time.

The latest cold shower from the EPP triggered an angry reaction from the League. "Does our friend Tajani really prefer to continue ruling with the PDS (Democratic Party of the Left), socialists, and Macron?" League MEP Marco Zanni, who chairs the Identity and Democracy group, responded in a statement.

The latest political stance is not surprising, as EPP leader Manfred Weber already rejected an alliance with Alternative for Germany (AfD), Le Pen in France, and the Law and Justice party (PiS) in Poland back in May—although he left the door open for the League.

"Anyone who is a partner of the EPP must meet three basic criteria: they must be pro-European, they must be pro-Ukrainian, and they must be for the rule of law", Weber said.

Speakers were unanimous in their criticism of Islam, illegal migration, and political correctness, but they were divided over the war in Ukraine. Co-chairman of the German AfD party, Tino Chrupalla, spoke out against Western sanctions on Russia, claiming that they had damaged the European economy more than the Moscow economy.

"Ukraine cannot win this war", Chrupalla said to the gathered, echoing similar claims by the Austrian Freedom Party, which contrasted with the stance of other parties, including the League, who supported sanctions. The attitude towards Russia remains a stumbling block within this group and with other factions.

A noticeable contingent of Romanian members of the group, wrapped in the national flag, was present at the gathering, along with young people advocating for the return of the long-disbanded Italian monarchy.

Notably absent from the event were Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders, and Portuguese politician Andre Ventura. Although interpreted as a lack of respect for the host, it must be said that Le Pen was in Italy in the middle of the year, visiting Salvini.

Six months before the elections, Salvini's plan to change Europe and unite populist parties will face numerous challenges. For instance, Finnish representatives who joined the group of European conservatives and reformists in April 2023 were not present at the gathering, citing their change in NATO membership support as the reason for the move.

Salvini's rallying cry, "We don't aim to lose or just participate. Our goal is to win and change the rules of Europe", sets an ambitious target, but the path ahead remains uncertain.